


My Child is a Human?!: An Emperor's Guide to Parenthood

by Scrabbleauthor



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Comedy, Cute, Dad!Belos, Family, Father-Daughter Relationship, Funny, Gen, Parent-Child Relationship, Self-Indulgent, Single Parents, Tasteful Language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:13:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26215426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scrabbleauthor/pseuds/Scrabbleauthor
Summary: Emperor Belos was the greatest and most powerful witch in existence. No matter the challenge and the battle, he would always win for there was no one like him. But when a small human child appeared and claimed that he was her father, he was finally faced with a proposition he was never ready for: parenthood.
Relationships: Emperor Belos & Luz Noceda, Emperor Belos/Camilia Noceda
Comments: 172
Kudos: 513





	1. Oh darn, did I accidentally a child?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. Now before we start, you might be asking: Why? My answer is... idk. I thought it'd be funny. Anyway, there's a theory that Belos and Luz are related and I'm like, "That would be super funny if it was true." and so, this happened. I literally wrote this in a single day.
> 
> Anyway, yes this is a comedy. No boring serious and politics. Just me writing shite on my free time. So if you like the theory, then I hope you enjoy this content!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belos minds his own business until a sassy lost child appears.

“Are you my dad?”

“Eh, what?”

Many, many years ago, the Boiling Isles, home to all of Earth's myths and magics, was a very dangerous place. Witches, masters of the magical arts, would spray their spells all over the place willy-nilly like unsupervised children, causing untold chaos and havoc. The isles were, without exaggeration, a living hellscape.

But one day 42 years ago, the great Emperor Belos, blessed speaker of the world, conqueror of the Boiling Isles, appeared and brought peace and order onto these wildlands, albeit by force. Claiming that he could hear the voice of the Titan, he crushed any and all competition and declared himself the sole ruler in all the land.

Emperor Belos was a great man, unparalleled by any. He created the coven system to put witches into ranks and any wild witch that dared challenge his rule would be swiftly dealt with through his superior magic and overwhelming support. He was, without a doubt, legendary.

But there was one thing the great Emperor Belos wanted, almost as much as power: love. Either than or really weird sex. It was hard to tell. However, the great Emperor Belos could not be seen hotdogging some random witch in the privacy of his bedroom. The controversy alone would pull his long rule into ruin.

If he could not love a witch on the Boiling Isles, why not a completely different dimension?

Now, dimensional portal magic was not something he was particularly used to. The spell would be extremely complicated and even the great him wasn’t sure where to start. Plus, even if you did figure out how, the caster would require so much magical power and so far, he was the only one he knew with that kind of energy.

So he did what any other witch would do and looked for someone who could. Luckily, he found some young greying witch living in an alleyway with the exact spell he needed. She was highly protective of it but a large bag of gold coins was enough to convince her, even if it was just a little while. Said something about ‘finally being able to build the owl house’.

With a snap of a finger, he created a suitable disguise and thus, he was able to blend in seamlessly with the humans. And just after one step into a new world, he was hit by a car.

Such cursed contraptions. Who in their right mind would ride a 2-tonne hunk of metal, speeding as fast as a willow? He’d make sure no such machinations would exist during his rule. Just ride a staff or take a carriage like everyone else.

Anyway, he was out for a few days and when he woke up, this beautiful, young and most definitely single woman stared at him. She was a nursing student and had apparently been the one to hit him. Despite her vile actions, he could not stay mad at her, not when she stayed to nurse him to health.

It was love at first sight. She would visit him every single day and each time, he loved it. They would talk for hours and while he told her his tales of greatness as the emperor of the Boiling Isles, she would be ever more enamoured.

He only stayed in the hospital for a week but even as he left, he wanted to see her more. So he visited her there just as she did with him, not a day missed. Every moment with her was more magical than even his own spells.

But... He could not stay. From the very beginning, he knew very well this was temporary and truly, he wanted to spend every waking moment in his life with her but he was an emperor first. After all, if he wasn’t back to squash rebellions and execute criminals, who would?

And so, after one month and several beautiful hotdog sessions, he disappeared without a trace, back to his original dimension. He left a sizable bag full of gold coins as penance but he knew it was not enough. It was never enough. He felt as if his heart and bile sac was ripped out of his chest, for there was no greater pain than leaving.

He would never experience love ever again.

Many years passed and he grew cold and distant. He was not as cruel as before but many realized he was less caring. No more torturing wild witches. Just quick beheadings and life sentences. Even when lax, he was and always will be Emperor Belos.

That was until this weird little human girl appeared in his throne room.

“My mom said that my dad is Emperor Belos. You’re Emperor Belos, right?” said the little girl in her purple sweater.

Belos blinked. “... I am Emperor Belos, yes. And who might you be, human child? And where did you come from?”

“My name’s Luz and I’m 6 years old! I saw this wiggly hole in the air and walked through!” she cheerfully answered. “Then I heard you called yourself 'Emperor Belos' and I remembered mom saying that name a lot!”

“So... Are you my dad?”

For the first time in many years, Emperor Belos was utterly baffled. You could not see it because of the mask but his eyes were as wide as saucepans. Looking closer, he realized the little human girl looked vaguely similar to his beloved, especially the round nose and brown hair.

However, it could just be a coincidence. Belos laughed nervously.

“Kikimora?” He called out.

“Y-yes, your Greatness?” His faithful attendant answered, just as shocked he was.

“Call for the leaders of the Healing and Oracle covens. I demand their presence immediately.”

“Of course, your Greatness.”

“And, uh... Get the Luz some toys. The non-deadly ones.”

“... Of course, your Greatness.”

* * *

A few minutes later, the two coven leaders appeared before him. Immediately, he ordered them to inspect Luz's origins and whether or not her words held truth. At the same time, Kikimora left the complex and went to town in order to find non-deadly toys.

It was a shame the least-deadliest thing she could find was a despiked flail. Even a wooden stick on the side of the road was either burning or covered in acid or worse: cursed by damned souls with unfinished business. Ghosts were always such annoying pests in a castle.

So, while Luz ran around chasing Kikimora with her flail, the two coven leaders and Emperor Belos discussed their findings. The results struck horror into his dead heart.

Luz was, without a doubt, his biological daughter. Despite her spunky human attitude, inside every cell of her body was a piece of his withered soul. Even the leader of the Healing Coven, the cyclopsean Lady Getrude said so. In fact, Luz even has a witch’s bile sac, albeit smaller for her age, either due to her biology or her growth in a magic-free environment. Though according to her, should Luz continue to grow within a proper environment, her sac would be larger than average.

As for the ‘wiggly hole in the air’, he sent the Oracle coven leader, the moustache-for-arms Lord Jenkins to check. While the hole had disappeared by then, the traces left were exactly as he suspected; Luz had walked through a tear within the fabric of space-time. These tears weren’t exactly uncommon. After all, it was how the human realm and magic realm were connected, outside of trash slugs. Nonetheless, they were usually so small and dissipated so quickly that it rarely became a nuisance. Never once had a human passed through one.

“So… you banged?” Lady Getrude asked.

Emperor Belos scowled at her choice of vocabulary. “Must you word it that way, Lady Getrude?”

“Look, I’ve been with you for over 50 years and never once had I seen what’s under your robe. For Titan’s sake, I thought you didn’t even have one!”

Lord Jenkins nodded. “Yeah! We even had a bet once whether you’d do the fusion on the cushion! We stopped counting after 186 months and that was… uh…”

Lady Getrude leaned slightly. “9 years ago.” She whispered.

“Yeah, that!”

On his majestic throne, Emperor Belos sighed as he rubbed his temples. This was a disaster. It was one thing to have a random human child within the premise of the Emperor’s Coven, it was another for said child to be his very offspring. Well, the good news was that Camilia did not have any harsh feelings against him, or maybe she simply decided not to say it. Another good news was that his gift was put to good use, seeing that Luz did not look impoverished.

“Also, can I have 100 snails? I’m a bit low on rent this month.” Asked Lord Jenkins.

Emperor Belos stared at the Oracle coven leader. “I am not giving you money to further support your gambling addiction. Furthermore, using your Oracle magic in gambling is illegal. It baffles me how you managed to lose ever so frequently despite the ability to peer into the future.”

“Hey, those darn kids cheated and you know it!”

Lady Getrude quickly cut in. “Look, that’s not the issue at the moment. We now know that this Luz is your daughter and without a dimensional portal, there’s no way of her sending her back. It’s time for us to start thinking about what to do with her.”

All three leaders of the Boiling Isles turned downwards at the centre of the room, where Luz finally managed to hit Kikimora into the floor and was currently being chased by two other Emperor Coven initiates. She was so full of energy and carried so much potential. If given the chance, she could even become the strongest witch on the Boiling Isles.

Lord Jenkins coughed. “We could eat her.”

“NO!” “ABSOLUTELY NOT!”

“B-but she’s half-human! So it’d only be half-cannibalism…” Lord Jenkins reasoned.

Lady Getrude glared at the moustached man. “Even if she was fully human, we are not eating her!”

“Might I also add that she is of my flesh and blood? Consuming her flesh would be equal to consuming my own and I would rather not have one of my coven leaders attempting to cannibalise me.” Emperor Belos added.

Lord Jenkins, startled by the aggressive disapproval, fixed his glasses. “Well, the alternative is have Emperor Belos here take care of her. Y’know, since she’s his child and all. But let’s be honest; the man doesn’t have a single fatherly body part within him. The Luz girl would die within the first week.”

Immediately, the atmosphere grew cold and thin. Underneath his golden mask, the two eyes of Emperor Belos glowed a menacing blue. _“Are you insinuating that I am flawed? That I, Emperor Belos, am unable to take care of a single child?”_

Lord Jenkins stood unnerved. “Well, yeah. If it’s too much for you, we can always call the other coven leaders. I’m sure one of them would be thrilled to succeed at the one thing the great Emperor Belos can’t.”

Underneath the mask, his eye twitched. _“I will take care of her myself. Your help is no longer requested, Lord Jenkins, as with you, Lady Getrude. Both of you may leave…”_

As the atmosphere slowly returned to its more-or-less comfortable setting, the leader of the Oracle coven simply shrugged. “Mmkay.” Alongside Lady Getrude, the two coven leaders walked away, leaving the fabled Emperor Belos and the funky human Luz to their personal whims. Once outside of the building and away from his prying eyes and ears, Lady Getrude sighed.

“You said all of that to get him to take her in, didn’t you?”

“Yep.”

“For someone so smart, how are you homeless again?”

“Like I said, those darn kids cheated!”

Meanwhile, back at the throne room, Luz had fallen down and injured her knee. Watching her cry tears of pain at her skinned knee left him with a shocking epiphany. Now he truly was forced to watch over a child.

“Well, _mierda_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... How was it? Comment what you think down below! This isn't the kind of story that I'd ask for criticism but I still would like to hear your opinions like your favourite parts and whatnot. My mind was stupid when I wrote this and I have no regrets.
> 
> Anyway, yes I made OCs for the leaders of the covens. Now, keep in mind that Belos only established the coven system 50 years ago. I realized that the original leaders are probably still alive and are still the heads of their respective groups. The good news is that we have pictures of how they looked on the Wikia via colourful banners. So their description is roughly based on that. Gender is impossible to tell for the Healing Coven leader so I just made her female since she reminded me of that one Oracle student. As for the Oracle Coven leader, I just thought it'd be funny if he was a gambler.
> 
> That's how I do all my writing. If it's funny, it gets in.
> 
> Anyway, I realize that this will not work if Camilia was Azura like many theorists say but that's fine. Let's just assume that Camilia was a normal human. So yeah! :D


	2. Introducing the uncles and aunts!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emperor Belos invites his closest allies to discuss regarding his daughter but not everything goes to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter! Mostly world-building, which doesn't make sense for a series like this but look, I like world-building and they'll be relevant in future chapters so just... ech!
> 
> Btw this chapter has a few more OCs, similar to the ones I made prior. You'll know who they are when you see them. I also have no idea when I'll introduce Camilia so I'll figure it out probably.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you'll like it and enjoy! :D

Lilith Clawthorne, the elder and the obviously superior of the two Clawthorne sisters, was a member of the illustrious Emperor’s Coven, the sword and shield of the Boiling Isles, loyal only to the great and powerful Emperor Belos. With her straight black hair and stern demeanour, Lilith was unlike any other witch on the Boiling Isles.

She has been in the coven for years, climbing up the ranks with all her might. She was quick-witted and talented and could handle any challenge thrown at her feet. She also had a habit of cursing those who dared get in her way. This may or may not have stemmed from deep-rooted emotional issues.

Some say it was a serious problem. Well, some were _the_ problem now after being cursed into demons. So, there’s that.

So far, her rate of growth was phenomenal and there was even a chance for her to, one day, stand equal to the other coven leaders, even the mighty Emperor Belos. But her youth betrayed her and she was less likely to go any further, not with her current age.

That was until opportunity struck.

As of the moment, she was a candidate to become the next coven leader. It was an incredible honour to be chosen, especially for someone of her age. If she succeeded, she’d be the youngest coven leader in history and that was, by far, no small feat.

But it wasn’t going to be easy. Her competition was fierce and highly skilled, all of which had far more experience than herself. She was the underdog of this fight and if she was ever going to claim that position, she’d have to stand out far above the rest. She must do and become better than all of her peers. Or curse them, either way.

Which was why she was so nervous. As she was continuing her coven duties with the utmost diligence, a message arrived, sent personally from the unparalleled Emperor Belos. She was shocked and quite frankly, her heart stopped from all the excitement. The emperor had called for her by name and quickly, Lilith realized this was the edge she needed.

She was definitely going to become the next leader of the Emperor’s Coven.

In front of the emperor’s throne room, Lilith cleared her throat. With shaky hands, she knocked on the door, announcing her presence. It was expected to have manners when attending professional duties. Moments later, the large doors opened and Lilith walked in.

“Lilith Clawthorne, reporting, my lord.” She said, bowing to the throne. She then waited for a response, as such was courtesy.

She waited.

And waited.

After many long seconds, she raised a brow in confusion and yet, she still bowed.

And waited.

...

...

...

Defying tradition, she raised her head without permission. Lilith was not a very patient person.

To her surprise, the throne was empty and the unmatched Emperor Belos was nowhere in sight. Was this all a trick, sent by her competitors in an effort to pull her from her responsibilities? If so, she’d make plans to curse them later.

“Ahem.” A voice coughed from behind. Startled, Lilith immediately turned around and pointed her staff at the voice.

In front of her stood a familiar face. Lilith knew that face anywhere. Well, more than just the face. The whole body too, since the voice was about the height of a preschooler.

Kikimora, the right-hand of the incredible Emperor Belos. She also looked somewhat dishevelled for some reason.

“Oh, you startled me, Lady Kikimora.” Lilith said, straightening herself. “I apologize.”

Kikimora hummed. “Mm, yes. Well, do avoid bewitching others while you’re here. We had quite a few problems lately. Difficult, to say the least.”

Problems? Difficult? For the Emperor's Coven? Preposterous. This must’ve been a test. The emperor must’ve called for her to solve a great problem! Yes, and once she passed, she’d definitely gain his favour! With it, the seat of the coven leader was within her grasp.

“I’ll do it!” Lilith answered with vigour.

Kikimora the very short and red witch, however, stared at her, confused. “I haven’t even said what it was you were called. Do you not wish to hear more?”

“I-Is there more?”

Kikimora shrugged. “Not a lot but can be a deciding factor.”

“Is the task at hand important?”

“Extremely so. The emperor would be ever so grateful.”

“Then I accept!” Lilith shouted before clearing her throat. “If that’s alright with you.”

Kikimora sighed and turned to the side, walking away. “Hah, come now. Follow me, miss Lilith.” She called.

From behind, Lilith followed the red witch, having exited the room via the side door. Kikimora briskly walking in front due to her short legs and Lilith just behind.

The duo passed the Emperor Coven's inner courtyard and across a long hall, where they reached a tall tower, separate from the rest of the coven area. Large golden doors stood, acting as the entrance. This was the private chamber of the elegant Emperor Belos, where it was said that the greatest secrets of magic were all stored in.

Lilith had never gotten so close to such a place. Only the emperor’s closest aides and other coven leaders had ever entered the room. It was a dream come true.

The door was so shiny.

Lilith reached out to the door, only for her hand to be slapped by Kikimora. “Please do not touch anything. We recently cleaned the door.”

“A-apologies. But, uh, might I ask why I’m here?” Lilith politely questioned.

Kikimora sighed. “What I’m about to show you is a very private matter to Emperor Belos. Since you’ve already accepted, you are not allowed to speak of it in any way outside of these walls, do you understand?”

Lilith gulped. “Yes.”

“Do you truly understand? Failure to comply is an act of treason.”

“I do!”

Kikimora nodded. “Good. Do try not to agitate her. She’s a handful.”

Wait, 'she'?

With that said, Kikimora did a small magic circle and the door opened by itself. The so-called 'private matter' showed herself and Lilith realized this was no what she expected.

Inside the gallant Emperor Belos's private chambers, sat a single little human girl with round ears and puffy cheeks. In front of her was a large piece of diced-up paper, some safety scissors and tubs of glue and glitter. She was also covered with decorative stars, most likely cut out from the paper.

“That there is Luz: Emperor Belos's daughter.”

Daughter? _Daughter?_ Emperor Belos had a daughter? The great conqueror of the Boiling Isles, who was never seen in public outside of charity events and witch hunts, somehow bore an offspring with his blood?

The child waved from afar. “Hi, miss Kiki!”

“Hello, miss Luz.” Kikimora replied. “Why are you covered head to toe with glitter?”

“Because the stars weren’t shiny enough!”

Kikimora nodded with a hum. “Hm, yes. Well, Luz, this is miss Lilith. She’ll be your sitter for the duration of your stay.”

The small child huffed, placing both hands on her hips. “I don’t need a babysitter! I'm 6!”

 _‘That’s not the reason why you need a sitter.’_ Kikimora thought silently. She casually coughed into her fist. “Well, the emperor demands that you require one and if the emperor wills it, so be it.”

Little Luz huffed and puffed, crossing her arms in defiance. It only made her look adorable but with Lilith's general confusion and Kikimora's tiredness, it did not work either way. The red witch turned and grabbed a thick tome before passing it onto Lilith.

“Well, here are all the necessary guidelines. If you have any questions, simply consult the book. You may only call me during anything that counts as an emergency.” Kikimora turned around and walked out. “Until then, farewell.”

“B-but, wait! Lady Kikimora, I don’t know how to take care of children!”

“ _Until then, miss Lilith._ ” She hissed. Twirling her fingers, she formed a magic circle and the door immediately closed, leaving Lilith Clawthorne alone with the child that was presumably Emperor Belos's only child.

Lilith stared at the girl who ten stared back. She then turned down towards the heavy tome, its title etched on the leather cover. ‘Baby Beasts and How to Nurture For War', it wrote.

The raven lady was starting to think that maybe she should’ve listened to what Lady Kikimora had to say first before accepting.

Outside, Kikimora was briskly walking away and towards her personal quarters. As much as she looked up to and praised the amazing Emperor Belos, she did not sign up to take care of blabbering babies. That was Lilith’s problem now.

Finally, some sleep...

* * *

Meanwhile in the Emperor’s Coven's main chamber, around a circular table, the heads of the nine main covens all gathered together for the first time since over 2 decades. The Boiling Isles’ greatest witches and wizards, masters of their respective arts, those who led the grand conquest 42 years ago under Emperor Belos’s name, all in one place. Had this meeting became public, it would’ve been in the headlines everywhere.

Once everyone took their seats, the walls lit up with magic, courtesy of the Construction coven's magic. Soundproof, fireproof and magic-resistant, along with countless guards and magical beasts outside, none may interrupt nor eavesdrop on their fateful gathering.

This was an event of a lifetime.

Slowly, the bespectacled leader of the Bard coven, Lord Bartholomew, placed a bag of gold into the table. It was quickly snatched up by the Oracle coven's leader, Lord Jenkins.

“Hah! I was right! And I didn’t even need to see the future to know that!” Jenkins said with a laugh.

Lord Bartholomew, the maestro of sound whose spells could change the tide of any battle, fiddled with his glasses. “Well, t’was a good show. Jolly good show, indeed. And what the rest of you?”

One by one, the coven heads placed a bag of gold on the table, all of which were immediately grabbed by Jenkins. The only exceptions were the Healing, Plant and Beast Keeping covens, neither earning nor losing.

The ever-so impressive Emperor Belos wept as he watched the exchanges, both hands covering his golden mask.

“I am in incredible shock to discover my very coven leaders having taken part of such a menial bet at my expense. I should not be but I truly am.”

Jenkins hugged his mountain of golden coins, laughing maniacally. “Hahaha, and you all thought I was crazy for taking the fighting bet! Well, look who’s laughing now!” He then pointed at a youthful man and scowled. “Especially you, Weiss!”

Lord Weiss, leader of the Illusion coven, a cruel and handsome fellow, chuckled. “Well, I must admit; I lost fair and square.”

He then waved his silver mirror, a relic from the Savage Ages, in front of his face. His expression immediately shifted to large hollow smile. “BUT IT WAS SUCH FUN, DONT YOU AGREE?! HAHAHAHAHA!!!”

“Still, I am quite surprised that our fair emperor did find someone willing enough to do the deed with him.” The leader of the Abomination coven, a tall and devilish witch, Lord Bastille, said.

At another chair, the Beast Keeping coven leader with unkempt hair, Lady Sierra, was picking her teeth with sharpened bone. Lacking any table manners, she flicked the bone elsewhere. “Who cares if Belos had sex? My creatures do it all the time.”

“Not with animals, Lady Sierra. Especially not with humans.” An old-looking woman with an unbloomed flower on top of her head said in a quiet tone. She, Lady Gerheade, was the head botanist of the Plant coven and during the Savage Ages, would use trespassers as fertilizer. “Isn’t that right, Durin?”

“Aye.” Lord Durin, master builder of the Construction coven and 13-time winner of the best beard competition, replied. Durin was not a witch of many words and some say that was what made him highly respected.

“A half-human hybrid, eh? I wonder how she’d react with my potions…” Albert of the Potions coven exclaimed, checking the colour of a potion in a flask.

Unlike the others, Lord Albert was completely engrossed in his research and loved to make random potions, even during the meeting. Some were funny or harmless, others were literal pandemics in a bottle.

Emperor Belos immediately turned towards him. _“You are not allowed to use any of your experimental potions on my offspring.”_

“All of my potions are experimental.”

_“Exactly.”_

Just then, the healing specialist Lady Gertrude slammed her hand on the table, halting the conversation. “Alright, that’s enough! As much as I enjoy each of us have a turn talking and introducing ourselves, we’re getting off-topic.”

“Aye.”

“Thank you, Lord Durin.” Gertrude said. “Anyway, Emperor Belos has agreed on taking care of the child Luz. Unfortunately, we know full well he probably delegated it to Kikimora, who in turn delegated it to some other poor witch.”

“Kikimora would do no such thing. I have my full trust in her.” Belos praised.

“You already gave it to her and she gave it to someone else, didn’t you?” she asked. His lack of response made her pinch the bridge between her eyes and sharply hiss. “Am I the only one here truly worried about the consequence of having a half-human child on the Boiling Isles?”

“What consequence?” the esteemed Jenkins asked.

Suddenly, a loud explosion occurred, shaking the entire complex. Instantly, all coven leaders and the emperor turned their heads out to the windows and saw smoke coming out from the walls. From underneath the mask, Emperor Belos’s eyes widened.

“Luz.”

* * *

Several minutes before detonation, Lilith was staring intently at the little girl, nervous and unsure. At the same time, Luz was also staring back, her eyes all starry and wide and full of expectations. The raven woman couldn’t comprehend what she was looking at.

This Luz girl was nothing like the emperor. He, who would stare any witch down from atop his throne, who made them beg for mercy like the trash they were just for existing, who ruled the entirety of the Boiling Isles with an iron fist.

And then there was Luz with her oddly round ears and big eyes. She probably couldn’t even hurt a fly. In fact, the fly was more likely to hurt her than anything else.

“I like your hair.” Little Luz said.

Lilith blinked. “… Uh, thanks. My hairdresser hates it.” She couldn’t help having very puffy morning hair. It wasn’t her fault. Straightening herself, Lilith walked towards the little girl. “So… what is it that usually do?”

“I like to watch TV but I don’t think you have one.” Luz answered. “I also like books. Mom said I’m a fast reader!”

Lilith’s eyes widened, followed by a smile. “Ah yes, books! Some common ground! Let’s see what my lord Emperor Belos has in his personal library.”

Looking around, Lilith walked up to a large shelf filled to the brim with old tomes of various sizes. Some looked so old and dusty, she was sure they existed before she was born. While there might be some laws regarding touching personal property, Lilith was convinced that the emperor wouldn’t mind, especially when involving his daughter.

Daughter… That still felt weird to say. Lilith shuddered at the thought.

“Let’s see here… ‘ _Magical Numerology 101_ ’, ‘ _Basics of Engineering for Dummies_ ’, ‘ _Everything You Need To Know About Dimensional Magic_ ’— Oh I remember Edalyn having a copy.” She exclaimed before continuing.

After a minute of searching, she realized that none of the books was suitable for children, especially the one Lady Kikimora provided.

“Oh, you know what? I’m just going to tell you a story!” Lilith bitterly said, disappointed at failing.

Luz clapped with cheer. “Yay! I like stories too!”

Lilith strolled back to Luz and sat down on the floor right in front of her. With a twirl of her finger, several blue lights appeared in the air, puppets for her show. Luz looked up in awe.

“Once upon a time, before you were born, stood an ancient Titan with unimaginable magical powers. One day, the Titan fell and from its dying body, birthed the Boiling Isles. The Titan's magic was so potent that all creatures evolved to either use magic or resist them.”

The blue energy combined and transformed into a rough model of the isles, the Titan’s knee bent upwards like a mountain.

“From that day on, came the Savage Ages, a period of disorder and barbarism. The skies would lit in flames and witches would commit all manner of cruel atrocities to fellow witches. Innocents would hide behind walls and in towns but even those could not keep them safe.”

Suddenly, the illusion changed into a familiar mask, albeit blueish in colour.

“But then came Emperor Belos, your f-f-father.” Lilith accidentally stuttered. “Claiming that he could hear the Titan’s voice, he declared himself its sole ruler and with the help of nine powerful witches, conquered the Boiling Isles. This is what established the nine coven system.”

The energy broke apart into ten pieces, each shaping into the symbols of a coven. Nine main covens, all circling one particular: hers.

“Under his rule, he brought peace and order onto a once-chaotic world. Till today, the citizens of the isles owe him for all he’s done. None can match up to him. He is the one and only Emperor Belos.”

Putting her hands down, the blue lights dispersed and the spell was finished. Lilith breathed out calmly. “And that is the general history of the Boiling Isles.”

Lilith turned to her only audience member and found her staring, awestruck. Slowly, little Luz clapped hard and steadily, her speed increased. Luz then stood up and jumped in joy, cheering loudly. “WOOO! THAT WAS SO COOL!!! HOW DID YOU DO THOSE LIGHT THINGS?!”

Lilith blushed but then smiled in delight. “Well, I’m glad you liked it. All I did was perform a simple light spell, though the shaping process can be somewhat advanced.”

“Spell? Like magic?!” Luz asked giddily.

“Well, yes! You are Emperor Belos’s daughter. I assume you can do magic as well?”

Luz nodded, before quickly looking down with a sad expression, one hand clutching her other arm. “I did it once but mom got mad at me. She said I shouldn’t do it in front of people.”

The super talented Emperor Belos's spouse was against magic? What kind of witch would be like that? Did Emperor Belos somehow made love with an anti-magic witch or worse, a demon?! That would explain her round ears... No! Bad Lilith! Such thoughts were equal to high treason!

“W-well, your mother isn’t here now. Why don’t you try?” Lilith gently coaxed.

“Okay...” Trembling, Luz twirled her tiny fingers around in the air as Lilith did. However, there was no light. No magic. “I-It’s not working!”

“Magic is... It’s more than just waving your hands around. You have to will it. Know what spell you want to cast.” The raven lady explained. “Tell me; what do you want?”

Luz wasn’t sure what she wanted. Her eyes shifted around and spotted her glitter-covered cutouts. She grinned. “I want to shine like a star!”

“Good! Now focus on that! Pull that image in!” Upon hearing Lilith's words, Luz focused as much as her underdeveloped brain could muster. She began to feel the strain and slowly, a small white glow appeared on the tip of her fingers.

Focus on the image. A bright star. A powerful star. A shining star.

Then everything blew up.

Meanwhile, Kikimora slept soundly in her bed. She shuddered.

* * *

“Okay, what was that?!”

“We’re under attack!”

“Let me at 'em! _Let me at 'em!_ ”

Rubble broke off the tower and fell from above. Before it could crash into the ground, large vines appeared and caught them in mid-air. At the same time, a gigantic sludge abomination rose from beneath, absorbing the broken stones.

Lord Bastille chuckled inward. “My, my, I almost caught up to you, Lady Gerheade. You must be going rusty...”

The old plant lady grunted. “Still faster than your abominations, Bastille.”

Within the chamber, Emperor Belos continued to stare at the smoke billowing above. For a brief moment, his eyes glowed blue before disappearing. He then raised a hand, something the other coven leaders noticed.

 _“Lady Sierra, I require a steed.”_ Belos spoke.

The Beast Keeping coven leader silently nodded and placed two fingers in her mouth. With a deep breath, she let out a high-pitched whistle, the sound reaching the forests outside. The trees bristled and from the deep leaves, hundreds of tiny wyverns appeared, led by a large majestic griffon.

Belos leapt and landed straight on the griffon flying nearby, standing on its back. The wyverns all circled the griffon, protecting it from harm while the rest grabbed any soldiers and pulling them out of harm’s way.

As he flew upwards, he saw a small blur falling among the rocks and a larger blur jumping from stone to stone after it. He could sense magic from the second one: body-strengthening magic. But the surrounding ambient magic from the blast was different than this person.

Once he got close, he summoned his mechanical-looking staff, nothing like the traditional wooden staff most witches used. A metallic wing flipped upwards at the top end, where an electrifying red orb floated by its side.

With a snap of his finger, all the falling rocks and rubble, small and large, including the two blurs, glowed crimson and immediately stopped moving.

 _“Lilith Clawthorne.”_ Emperor Belos announced as he got closer to the second blur. There, Lilith was covered by a translucent red glow, her limbs frozen. _“Starting your first day with a bang, I see?”_

“E-Emperor Belos! I c-can explain—!”

_“Hush now. I have seen enough and what a disappointment this has been. Such a simple task that any witch could’ve done and even you failed. I had such high expectations of you.”_

He stretched his hand to her face. _“Some punishment is in order...”_

“NO! IT'S NOT HER FAULT!”

From below, he heard a voice shout out at him. Belos looked down and saw his newly-discovered daughter, large tears falling from her eyes. She could not move and yet, her eyes did not cease flowing.

“She didn’t do anything! Miss Lilith was teaching me magic! I blew up the castle, not her!” The 6-year-old cried out.

Belos's eyes widened. “Magic? You can use...”

He knew Luz had a bile sac much like any other witch. But it was so small that, despite Lady Gertrude's assurances, he did not place any hope of it changing. Luz was not a witch but she wasn’t completely human. And there was more to magic than just a single organ.

Flicking his finger down, the human and the female witch shot downwards only to halt at the bottom, while the rest of the castle descended slowly. His griffon followed suit, landing on the ground safely. He turned to Lilith and Luz, both safe and unharmed.

_“I demand an explanation.”_

Immediately, Luz began crying.

* * *

Several minutes later, Luz was fast asleep. Intense tear-jerking emotions plus action-packed explosions were a tiring combination for a 6-year-old, human or witch. By some miracle, no one was injured, all thanks to the quick response of the coven leaders.

Kikimora was pissed and that wasn’t even an exaggeration. She left Lilith for less than 10 minutes and woke up to find the castle in pieces. Worse was the fact that Lilith was actually picked by her, not the emperor. Emperor Belos simply allowed her to use his name when picking a sitter. So this was partially her own fault, much to her dismay.

Lilith was by far not the youngest member of the Emperor’s Coven but due to her unique position, she at least thought that Lilith could handle a small child.

“Are you angry at me, your Greatness?” Kikimora asked. She was calm, ready to accept any punishment.

Instead, Emperor Belos sighed on his throne. “I am disappointed but not angry. I trust your judgement in deciding a suitable caretaker during my absence and from her history, Lilith Clawthorne has shown to be quite exceptional. Outside of her inconvenient habit, that is.”

He then raised his head, turning to his aide. “Now tell me; what does Lady Gertrude have to report?”

Kikimora nodded and with a spell circle, summoned a small scroll. “Upon closer inspection, Lady Gertrude has concluded that the enzymes within Luz's bile sac were far more potent than what is considered average. She did not see it earlier due to the relatively quick inspection. So while she does produce less than most witches, her spells are far stronger.”

Less number of spells in exchange for more powerful magic? That sounded almost like him. Emperor Belos was genetically superior to other witches. His spells were naturally more powerful and he could easily blast any witch into oblivion, albeit with some side effects. Those were a secret that only he was aware of.

Traditionally, a smaller bile sac equated to weaker spells. Emperor Belos was an exception and from the looks of it, so was Luz.

Well, this was a problem.

“Ideally, my daughter would be best suited to attend school in order to safely harness her magical powers. Unfortunately, I cannot have her existence to be public knowledge. At least not yet.” He then turned to Kikimora and asked. “What course of action do you recommend, Kikimora?”

The red witch’s eyes widened. She scratched her head, thinking. “You could have her attend under a different alias—”

“She’s 6. Children her age are unable to lie, else they die.”

“—or have her privately taught by the Emperor’s Coven.”

Oh, now that’s a thought. The Emperor’s Coven was the strongest and most influential coven on the Boiling Isles. Each member was the best of the best, though still far below himself. Luz could learn a lot under the tutelage of the world’s greatest witches.

“Interesting...” Belos muttered, scratching his chin. “I will keep that option open.”

Suddenly, the side door of the throne room burst open, revealing a panicked Lilith, her hair sticking out of place. “M-my lord!”

“Ah, Lilith. I was about to discuss with Kikimora regarding your situation. Due to recent findings, we’ve decided to abstain from punishing you. I hope this was a valuable lesson to—”

“I apologize for interrupting you, my lord, but Lady Gertrude has requested your presence in the medical room immediately!” She gulped. “It’s about the other coven leaders.”

“... _Mierda._ ”

Meanwhile at the infirmary, the cyclops Gertrude was pushing her fellow coven heads away with a chair.

“Back! Back, I tell you! I will break your bones, fix them up and break them again if I have to!” she shouted, glaring with her one eye. As other coven leaders all skittered closer, they’d retreat only when the chair blocked them.

“Oh come now, Lady Gertrude.” Albert argued, pouring a single drop of an unknown chemical into a filled flask, changing its colour. “I’m sure I could be of assistance. This potion will make her bones glow in the dark. Wouldn’t that help?”

“Yeah! And I could lend her a chimaera egg! Kids like demons these days, right?” Sierra added, carrying a large polka-dot egg above her head.

Gertrude pointed at them angrily. “No, and no.” She then turned to the smiling creepy Lord Weiss. “And what’s your excuse?”

Mirror in hand, he shrugged. “Honestly, I just want to stare at her as she slept.”

“... No.”

As if floating, Emperor Belos speedily glided across the hall and towards the medical room, stopping abruptly behind them. He scowled beneath his mask. _“What is the meaning of this?!”_

“Ah, Emperor Belos!” Gertrude greeted happily, followed by glaring at her peers. “I’ve done a full medical checkup on dear Luz when these _savages_ appeared and were adamant at looking at the poor girl.”

“Well, it can’t be helped.” Bastille said, towering above everyone. “We are all curious about the young girl. She is, after all, half of you, oh emperor. And you don’t seem to have any particular idea of what to do.”

“Aye.”

“Thank you, Lord Durin.”

Belos felt his head boil. Even though he was the strongest and most amazing witch on the Boiling Isles, there was a reason why these nine witches in front led the main nine covens. He’d never have been able to become emperor without them.

Out of nowhere, an idea struck.

“To my credit, I’ve made plans for her already. Since I deem she would be in constant harm outside of the sanctity of the Emperor’s Coven, I will personally act as her tutor for the duration of her stay, with Lilith as my assistant.”

Kikimora and Lilith both gasped. “She’ll what?!” “I will?!”

“Yes, I will teach Luz all she can about magic. But if you are interested in the well-being of my daughter, you can direct your attention to Lilith. She will decide if your presence is acceptable.”

Far behind, the Oracle coven's own Lord Jenkins coughed. “Hahklazyboneshmm.” From the wall, a fleshy arm appeared and slapped him. “Oww!”

“Now then, since her future is now secured—” His eyes glowed. _“I suggest that you all leave.”_

For a few seconds, only silence filled the air. No one dared to breathe. Such unnatural quietness, something only Emperor Belos could produce.

“... Achoo!” Weiss sneezed.

He rubbed his nose. “Hrk, well, now I’m bored. I guess I’ll be visiting little Luz later then. Ciao, bellas!” Via a spell circle, a cyan ring of light manifested around his feet and rose, his body disappearing within.

One by one, each of the coven leaders left with the exception of Lady Gertrude, Emperor Belos and his two underlings. The cyclops healer sighed, exhausted.

“Hah, glad that’s done. Though, are you sure you want to handle your daughter’s education personally? It’s a lot of work.”

“No need to worry, Lady Gertrude. I am fully capable of handling it.” He then turned slightly around. “For the time being, Lilith here may return to her station. Details of the new arrangement will be given later.”

Kikimora bowed. “Then I shall show her the way, your Greatness. Come, miss Lilith.”

“R-right!”

Belos watched as the two walked away and once they disappeared from view, he turned back to his old co-worker. “Is... Is Luz well?”

Gertrude smiled. “She is but she’s sleeping at the moment. If you want, you can come in and check on her yourself.”

He wanted that, didn’t he? He wasn’t sure. Instead, he moved away. “No, let her rest. A long day awaits her tomorrow. It’d be unwise to interrupt.”

Before he could leave, however, Gertrude grabbed his arm and refused to let go. Emperor Belos turned around, only to see her frown.

“Belos, I know you’re not ready for this but really, no parent ever is.” She exclaimed, not using his title. “Even if she not awake right now, I’m sure she’d love for her father to be there when she does. Just give it time. You’ll learn to get used to it.”

Harshly, he pulled his arm back, away from her grasp. She could not see it but his hands trembled at the thought. Arguments shot all over the place in his mind, his only opponent being himself.

In the end, he seceded and sighed. “I... I guess I can stay for a minute or so... if that’s what you believe is best.”

Gertrude smiled and opened the door for him. Right on the other side, the 6-year-old Luz slept in peace. Only her head was exposed, the rest underneath the blankets. Not a single sound escaped her, just the air from her lungs.

Quietly, Belos pulled a chair and sat right beside her. This was the first time he actually got a good look at her. She was so small and fragile. To think that she possessed such incredible power.

Despite the hesitance, he lifted his hand up and gently caressed the little girl’s face. He didn’t know what to do either than wait but this felt right.

In her sleep, Luz smiled and his old withered heart beat once for the first time in many years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this in 3 days btw and I didn't even have time either. This is what happens when motivation strikes. You just make the time like some elder god.
> 
> Anyway, here are the OCs. This chapter exists mostly to introduce them and give some foundation on what Luz is supposed to do now. She trusts Belos bcoz Camilia talks about him a lot but she doesn't really personally know him, hence the crying.
> 
> As for the OCs, they'll be recurring characters. We got:  
> 1\. Lord Jenkins (Oracle, gambler, a sore loser, hates Weiss)  
> 2\. Lady Gertrude (Healing, caring, mature, is a cyclops)  
> 3\. Lord Bartholomew (Bard, old British, happy man, also really nice)  
> 4\. Lord Weiss (Illusion, a dick, bipolar, narcissistic)  
> 5\. Lord Bastille (Abomination, creepy, smiles too much, tall)  
> 6\. Lady Sierra (Beast Keeping, wild, super positive, kinda rude)  
> 7\. Lady Gerheade (Plant, calm, likes being alone, slow)  
> 8\. Lord Durin (Construction, bearded dwarf, aye, aye)  
> 9\. Lord Albert (Potions, likes potions, like research, doesn't care)
> 
> They are all +50 years old and helped Belos become emperor. I'll be posting a bit more detail on my Tumblr regarding these OCs later so check them out at @scrabbleknight. For now, Belos and Luz's relationship is a bit on a rocky start but it'll work out. Promise ;)


	3. Rocks are pretty magical too.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belos decides to teach Luz magic like the good dad he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't know how to finish this. That's why it took so long for such a small amount of words. Originally, King was going to appear but then I had a crisis on how old King was and no one on Discord bothered to answer me. So yeah, that's going to stay in the trunk.
> 
> Anyway, welcome back! Here's some fluff. Belos is a dad. I realize I can't write a story without exposition because it's also for me and I'm a sucker for explanations. Chapter is done. Booyah. Now go wild. Imma go hug my cat.

* * *

Inside the infirmary of the Emperor’s Coven, the great and powerful Emperor Belos was reading a book. Nearby, his daughter Luz was drawing on a notebook.

After the 6-year-old half-witch accidentally blew up his private chambers, some major repairs had to be done, mostly on the tower walls. During the rebuilding process, Emperor Belos had an ingenious idea — build a new room right next to his as Luz's permanent residence. That way, she actually had a place to stay instead of a hobo’s sleeping bag.

Then came a problem: actually designing the place. Now, he trusted Lord Durin and his craftsmanship. He was, after all, the best builder on the Boiling Isles. However, the dwarf of a witch had pretty hefty charges. Plus, Emperor Belos wanted only the best of the best for his flesh and blood, so he spared no expense.

He decided to place the bill on the Emperor’s Coven. Needless to say but Lilith fainted after seeing so many zeroes.

So while the new accommodations were being built, little Luz would stay in the infirmary temporarily with Lady Gertrude watching over her. The Healing Coven head had her own reasons for staying, related to the human-witch physiology. Also, Luz was not allowed to leave without the lady’s permission. Nobody wanted another explosive incident.

“Hmm...” Belos hummed as he flipped a page. It was the tome recommended by Kikimora, initially for Lilith. While technically unsuitable for taking care of Luz, he had to admit; Kikimora had a good taste with literature.

Luz also hummed, though to the beat of an unknown song.

…

…

…

“Daughter?”

Luz looked up. “Hmm?”

“Would you like to see some magic?”

Luz began vibrating. “YeeeeEEEEEAAAAAAA—!”

A few minutes later, Lady Gertrude appeared in the hall, carrying a pair of clean bedsheets. She came not only to check on Luz’s condition but also to replace the used sheets. It’s important that the bed was neat and tidy, especially in the infirmary. Gertrude was no stranger in microbiology.

“Miss Luz, may I come in? I’m just here to clean up the room.” Gertrude asked from outside. Hearing no response, she assumed that Luz was sleeping and quietly, opened the door.

What she expected was Luz being a little angel and Emperor Belos watching over her like a good father figure. What she didn’t expect was an empty room and an open window.

“… That son of a TITAN’S WH—!”

* * *

It was a beautiful day on the Boiling Isles. The sun was shining, no clouds in the sky and for once, the water wasn’t corrosive. It was a sign from the Titan and Emperor Belos gladly accepted its offer. On days like this, it wasn’t hard to find an empty and secure clearing to train one’s magic, away from prying eyes. After all, a safe environment was tantamount in the learning method. That why schools existed.

Emperor Belos and by association, Luz, were both riding on top of a grotesque worm thing with little bat wings. Despite its tiny appendages, the creature easily flew through the air like a dragon with its two passengers above. Though, said creature was not a demon. In fact, it was one of Emperor Belos’s magnificent abominations, unlike anything the world had ever seen.

Why was Emperor Belos and Luz riding a fleshy abomination, you ask? The answer: Emperor Belos could not fly, at least traditionally. Witches would usually fly on their staves to get anywhere but those long sticks weren’t the reason for their flight; it was the palismans, something he didn’t possess.

A palisman was a magical totem perched atop of a witch’s staff. Individually carved, it was a mark of a true witch and any good magic-user had one. In the olden days of the Savage Ages, palismans and their staves were acquired by entering a dangerous and mystical forest and grabbing a piece of wood from one of many ancient trees. The witches would then carve it by hand and should they fail, it was another death-defying trip to grab another. Not all witches back then had a palisman and those that did were truly great.

Nowadays, the risks were far less. Instead of a life-threatening adventure through some woods, witches were given safe passage upon graduation from magic schools and were allowed to choose which tree they’d take the wood from. Different types of wood reacted differently, depending on the witch’s magic. Heck, witches even attended woodcarving classes.

Emperor Belos was an odd one. While he owned a staff, he lacked the palisman on top. A wooden staff without a palisman was nothing but a big stick which was why he fixed a machine of his own design atop. Though, Belos wasn’t bothered. He was still the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles. He didn’t need a palisman to prove it.

After landing safely on the ground, Belos willed the abomination to erase itself. No need to waste magic keeping it around. The worm thing immediately melted into a puddle of liquid flesh and bones before evaporating into thin air. Luz cringed in disgust.

“Behold! Welcome the training grounds.” Belos announced, his arms open wide.

Little Luz looked around, turning left and right. The place was just an empty clearing with nothing in particular. There were no grass or flowers within while trees bordered the area like a natural wall.

“Daughter, I brought you here not only to show you magic but to _teach_ you as well. But before we begin, we must first attend the theories regarding magic. Truly the most exciting lesson of all.”

He then looked downwards at his little girl. “Now, what do you know about magic?” the masked father asked.

Luz blinked. “Boom.”

“Well, that’s a start.” He exclaimed. “In its simplest form, casting a spell simply requires you to think about the spell and draw a circle. Basic rule of magic is that the larger the circle, the stronger the spell. However, you and I are a completely different case.”

He lifted his hand up, grasping the air as if the world was within his palm. “Our magic is far more powerful and potent that the use of traditional circles is irrelevant to us. A dot technically counts as a circle, albeit infinitesimally small with a radius of zero. You shall learn to cast spells in a similar manner.”

A small red dot glowed on the tip of his finger and from it, the emblems of the nine main covens appeared, bouncing in mid-air. It was similar to how Lilith showed her, just a different colour.

“Spells are divided into nine main forms which the nine main covens were based on: Healing, Illusion, Abomination, Plant, Oracle, Construction, Beast Keeping, Potions and Bard. Any other coven is simply a branch of the main ones, such as the Baking Coven is to Potions.”

Luz gasped. “You can make cakes with magic?!”

“Well, yes but actually no. There are two categories of magic: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic uses your own reserves while extrinsic uses other mediums. Most covens used a mix of both.”

He then turned to the half-witch. “So in truth, baking a cake with magic still requires ingredients.”

“Okay!” Luz happily said, giving a little thumbs up.

Belos stared at the girl and her response. “… Did you actually understand any of that, at all?”

Luz frowned dejectedly. “No...”

Well, he didn’t expect that. To her credit, she did listen to him, word by word. It just so happened that she didn’t know what half of those words meant. She just wanted to know whether one could bake a cake with a wave of a hand.

So far, she still had no idea.

Emperor Belos, on the other hand, had a different problem. He purposely dumbed down the explanation and avoided any of the complicated details, and yet Luz looked as if she could disappear any moment. Mentally, that was. She wouldn't actually just phase out of existence. If she could, he would be very worried. Nonetheless, he wondered; was this not the curriculum that 6-year-olds studied at preschool?

Thinking back, Emperor Belos realized he never went to school either. That was a thing.

“While it is against every fibre of my being, we’ll just have to skip the theory for now.” Belos sighed in disappointment. Formally educated or not, nobody ever appreciated the theories behind magic. Sure, you don’t need to know it to cast spells but it’s still very interesting.

With a wave of a hand, several targets made of mud popped out of the ground. Elemental magic was not part of any coven; it was simply something anyone could do like levitation. A good place to begin. He then turned back to his daughter. “Now then, I want you to cast a fire spell and incinerate one of the targets.”

Luz's eyes widened. “You want _me_ to do magic?!”

He nodded. “Yes. A fire spell is fairly simple.”

“W-well, how do I do that?”

“Just do what you did last time but with fire.”

“How do I do that?”

“That... is a good question.” Belos exclaimed. It shouldn’t be hard to learn basic magic. It’s what everyone on the Boiling Isles used.

But Luz wasn’t from the Boiling Isles. One or two times wouldn’t cement itself. This was a skill and while children could copy their parents, Luz had no such experience. Her spell didn’t just backfire because it had too much power; she also had an idea what she did.

“Hmm... Tell me, how did you learn to do magic before? Lilith was in the room, yes?” Belos asked.

Luz nodded, before twiddling her fingers. “Yeah b-but promise you won’t be mad at her!”

“My anger has subsided. She is in no harm.” Belos waved off. He would not hold such petty grudges against a small witch. “Now, tell me.”

“Well... miss Lilith told me to imagine stuff and don’t stop. I did some circles, my finger twinkled and I blew up.”

“Is that all?” He asked to be sure. Luz hesitantly nodded.

Now that was curious. She willed the spell into existence without actually casting it. The magic within her body responded to her thoughts but due to lack of training, had no idea what to form.

“Can you repeat the process?” He asked once more.

Little Luz gulped. “B-but what if I blow up again?!”

With a wave of a hand, his staff materialized into existence, activating itself. “I assure you, it will not happen.”

His words brought her ease and so, Luz turned to the mud targets afar and pointed. She still felt scared, as expected after such a traumatizing event. But there was a feeling of safety in the back of her mind, carried by her father’s presence.

Belos placed a hand on her shoulder. “Now focus.”

And so she did. All she needed was an image. This was a fire spell so that meant fire, right? Barbeques in the park, the stove in her home kitchen and campfires when they went camping during the summer; those were fire.

She and her mom never saw eye to eye when about magic but she still missed her cooking.

A small white light blipped to life at the tip of her finger. It flickered unstably, beaming and dimming in a random pattern. White static discharged from the light — small but noticeable.

Emperor Belos's eyes glowed.

Slowly, the pulsing light calmed and stopped flickering. Little Luz glared at the target and with a final push, the light glowed brightly before transforming into a large fireball. It flew through the air and landed on the ground, missing the targets entirely. However, the force of the explosion was so strong, the targets all broke into pieces anyway.

Luz breathed heavily, followed by a large smile. Her hands started flapping as she jumped in joy. “I-I did it! I really did it!”

“Indeed, you did. Not only did you successfully cast a fire spell, but you also destroyed all the targets. As expected of my blood.” Belos praised, though with a subtle one to himself.

Suddenly, two arms wrapped around his legs, startling the Boiling Isles ruler. He looked down, finding the little girl pushing herself into his knees.

“Thanks. You’re the best.” Luz said, burying her face in him.

Under his mask, heat crept up his face. This feeling was... familiar. His hands trembled. “Ah. Yes, of course. I am, ahem, after all, Emperor Belos.” With a finger, he poked the top of her head, causing Luz to hug tighter.

“You are very affectionate...” He said, pushing her head even harder. Still, she refused to let go.

“What does that mean?”

Belos stared at her. “It means you like hugs.”

Luz gasped, followed by a squeal. “Mom said it’s my best trait!”

“Well, I am able to understand why at the very least.” With a wave of a hand, he resummoned the abomination from before into the realm of the living. “Now come. Let us head back.”

“We’re not going to do more magic?” Luz asked in a curious tone.

Belos figuratively shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. It is not best to rush when dealing with the mystic arts. Also, I am very much sure Gertrude is not keen on us leaving her watchful eye.”

It wasn’t the whole truth. Back when Luz used her magic, Emperor Belos had noticed her magic was not flowing correctly. To avoid another catastrophe, he was forced to use his own power to redirect her flow of magic to her fingertips. What he didn’t expect was that it took quite a lot out of him to do so. Such wild and uncontrollable magic. At that very moment, he realized that Luz, his daughter, had the potential to become even stronger than him.

That made him proud but also somewhat scared.

“Ms Gertrude is really nice.” Luz exclaimed. “I like her!”

“Yes, she is indeed the most trustworthy of all the coven leaders.”

“We should get her something. Oh!” Luz then ran to the edge of the clearing and picked something from the ground. “Like this rock! I can put stars on it!”

“She will like that.” Belos said.

“It’ll be super pretty! Maybe other shapes too, like leaves and turtles!”

“Hmph...” So the turtles still existed? Such resilient creatures, even after being banished from the Boiling Isles thousands of years ago. He wondered if the giraffes still interacted with them.

In an odd decision, Luz looked at her father quizzically. “Do you want one too?”

Underneath his mask, Belos’s eyes widened. Luz would gift him, the all-powerful ruler of the Boiling Isles, a rock? Not a powerful artefact, or the head of a wanted criminal, or even just a precious gem; just a basic everyday rock. Had it been any other witch, he would’ve personally tortured them for such an insulting offering.

However, this was Luz.

He hummed. “If that is what you wish, then I shall accept. It would be rude to refuse.”

The little girl smiled. “Then I’ll get two rocks.”

* * *

And so she did. Once they got home, Luz spent the day glueing paper shapes on the rocks. Lady Gertrude would then return to the infirmary and yell at them, but immediately stopped once Luz gave her the dressed-up stone. She tried to hide it but Emperor Belos was sure Lady Gertrude had shed tears.

Emperor Belos, with all of his grace and majesty, would receive the prettiest rock with the biggest star, of course. He was, after all, the greatest and most amazing Emperor Belos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're back! And not dead which is a good sign. Anyway, a dumb theory of mine is that the larger the spell circle, the stronger the spell. And I'm like "What if Belos doesn't make circles because he's stupid OP?" and this is me implementing that. Also, Luz has white magic while Belos has red. Idk, I thought white is a nice colour to contrast the red. Either that or make her magic some form of red. BUT NOT GOLD! That's Eda's thing.
> 
> Hope you liked it. Comment, kudos, subscribe, the works. I'm tired when I wrote these notes but that's a personal thing.


	4. Did you know that Italian food is simple to make?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz is hungry and what better way to feed a hungry child than through spaghetti?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guh, I hate it when I have a fanfic idea and I just can't stop until I write it. I might have some form of ADHD but I never checked so idk. My parents said it's normal for people to jump around and not focus like I do but I kinda want to at least check. They mean well (being afraid that I might get addicted to drugs) but y'know, if it helps, why not?
> 
> So yeah, cooking. I cook and I know how it goes. Everyone in my family loves food but only four of us actually cook. I used to watch my mom cook in the kitchen which contributed to my hobby as a home cook. Among all of us, I'm the best at European dishes. So yeah as ridiculous Italian and French cooking is, it's only hard in a professional kitchen (which is what cooking school trains you for). At home, it's super easy.

__

* * *

_Gggraaoww..._

Luz's stomach grumbled, yet her appetite was troubled. For the past day or so, the Emperor’s Coven had provided her with various meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Thanks to the help of Lady Gertrude, she was able to get all the necessary nutrients for a growing human body.

However, the problem came with the food choices. Steamed purple troll's foot was a delicacy here, along with spider silk noodles. Luz did not like the fact that she had to eat a foot or noodles made of spiders. Being the 6-year-old that she was, this meant avoiding her meals if possible.

_Gggraaoww..._

Luz wanted some of mommy’s food.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a meeting room of sorts, the impeccable Emperor Belos was discussing with two of his fellow coven leaders regarding a few resources. When two leaders were to strike deals, another leader or representative must be around to mediate. For today, that would be him.

“With the new chupacabras hatching, I need to double my usual order of goat's blood.”

“I’m willing to do that, so long as you’re willing to forgo 25 per cent your side of Oom's Lake.”

She gasped. “As if!”

Belos sighed. Again with the lake, it seemed. Unlike some of the others, the coven leaders of the Plant Coven and Beast-Keeping Coven — Lady Gerheade and Lady Sierra respectively — were quite cordial with one another. Being the two witches that dealt with the chaotic wilderness of the Boiling Isles, a sense of camaraderie was expected.

That was until Oom's Lake was brought up.

Named after a powerful wizard known as Oom, the lake was located at the navel of the fallen Titan. With waters of mystical qualities, the territory had been disputed by wild witches everywhere back during the Savage Ages.

Once Emperor Belos got into power, the lake was split three ways: Lady Gerheade, Lady Sierra and Lord Albert of the Potions Coven. Wild beasts would often come to drink the lake's magical water, plants nearby would grow strong by absorbing it, while Lord Albert used it in many of his potions. It would’ve been two-way instead, but Lord Albert was quite insistent about it.

As usual, Lady Gerheade and Lady Sierra would both use the water for their respective arts. However, due to the special nature of the lake, the amount used yearly was restricted as to avoid drying it up before it could refill naturally.

To the mighty Emperor Belos, he did not care who had control of the lake so long as it wasn’t any wild witch outside of his control. And so for the past 4 decades, he had to entertain these two with their squabble.

Maybe he could suggest a witch’s duel? No, such infighting between coven heads would set a terrible image of his rule.

As if the Titan had heard his pleas, the door to the meeting room creaked open and from it, little Luz peeked behind. “Hello? Is my dad here?”

Oh. That was the first time Luz had directly called him 'dad', not counting their first encounter. His chest felt funny; the same has happened before as well. He should have that checked.

“Yes, my daughter, I am present.” Emperor Belos greeted. “What has brought you here?”

Luz pouted. “I’m hungry.”

“Have you not eaten your mid-day meal? Why not head to the kitchen?” Belos suggested. “Tell the chef to cook whatever you wish and that I ordered so.”

Luz shook her head. “I don’t like his food.”

The indomitable Emperor Belos felt as if he should be insulted by Luz’s words but it wasn’t as if she was wrong. It was not easy to find a good cook on the Boiling Isles, especially one that didn’t try to poison his food. He trusted the chef to make palatable dishes that didn't kill him and that was enough.

Belos scratched his mask’s chin. “Hmm, well, what do you propose to consume outside of the chef’s creations?”

Luz shrugged. “I dunno. I want spaghetti.”

Immediately, all leaders turned to the little human girl. “The heck’s a spaghetti?” Sierra asked.

“Oh! Well, it's this yellow noodles with red sauce. There are tomatoes, mushrooms, little dried leaves and sometimes meat bits like chicken or cow meat.” Luz explained. “Mom likes to make it.”

“Sounds simple... I like it!” Sierra replied cheerfully.

“Yellow noodles... I don't think we have such a thing here on the Boiling Isles.” Gerheade added. “They must have put some eggs into the dough that caused it to change its colour. Is that right?”

“I don't know.” Luz shrugged. "We just buy the noodles from the store.”

"And what about the sauce?”

Luz shrugged again. “I don’t know. We get that from the store too. Mom just likes to add stuff.”

"Well, I don't know what that is but now I'm starving.” Sierra said. On cue, her stomach grumbled, not that she felt embarrassed over.

Hm, that gave him an idea. "If that is the case, I propose a mid-discussion break at the dining room. Let us rejuvenate our body, spirit and mind before we continue with our meeting.” Emperor Belos suggested.

"I agree. Then, we can discuss on the transfer of rights regarding the lake.” Gerheade sniped.

Fuming in anger, Sierra jumped onto the table and stomped her feet. "And like I said, I'm not giving you my side of the lake!”

“Would you prefer the chupacabras die of hunger?”

“Grr...!” Sierra gritted her teeth in frustration. "This is going nowhere!”

Little Luz blinked at the argument in front of her. Being a 6-year-old, curiosity was what fueled her young spirit. It's also the reason why so many children do dumb things and get hurt. Curiosity! "What lake and what are chupacabras?”

Belos turned to his daughter, unbothered by her presence. "Well, Lake Oom contains a valuable resource and chupacabras are an important meat-based food source.”

On her ageing face, Gerheade frowned. “Important is subjective. Chupacabras are nothing more than just blood-sucking demons and a pest on the Boiling Isles.”

"I don't see you do anything with your wild and dangerous plants! Witches die in your forests every year!" Sierra argued.

Gerheade scoffed at the accusation. “It is not my fault that these unfortunate fools dare to walk into my territory. They should know better.”

Luz frowned upon hearing their argument. She just didn’t understand what the whole squabble was about. “Why not just share the lake?” Luz asked with an innocent tone.

“We are sharing the lake.” Gerheade answered, clicking her tongue. “It’s due to your father’s laws that we are limited in supply.”

The ever-wise Emperor Belos's eyebrows curled if he even had any. "I do that for the preservation of the Titan. It benefits us all."

“Yeah, yeah, we know! You said it a hundred times before.” Sierra exclaimed. “We didn’t join you because the island started talking to you. I wanted a place for the demons to run wild and free while Lady Gerheade here wants to be alone and depressing.”

At that moment, Luz had a bright idea that only a child her age could ever have. She gasped in sudden realization and lifted her finger up high in the air. “Oo, oo! Why not have a cook-off?”

Sierra raised a brow. “A what now?”

“I believe it is a type of competition where participants cook a meal based on a theme. The said meal will then be taste and ranked unbiasedly by a set of judges.”

Gerheade glared at Emperor Belos with suspicion. “How did you even know that?”

“The Fine Dining coven tends to have these competitions and I, of course, keep track of all coven activity.” Belos explained. Yet, the stare persisted, not even a little bit convinced. Annoyedly, Emperor Belos continued. “Watching these competitions was a pastime of mine during my stay in the human realm, alongside shows in which people build and decorate houses.”

“That does explain why the Emperor’s Coven is the most stylish.” Gerheade muttered.

Luz nodded. When she first saw the Emperor’s Coven, she thought the whole place was grand and amazing. Her little mind could barely comprehend it. Everything was so big compared to itty bitty Luz. One might think it’s because she was tiny but no, everything really was big.

She then struck a pose, her right arm stretched out while the other tucked close. “Let the cook-off BEGIN!”

And so started Luz’s first imperial order...

* * *

Two coven heads, the emperor of the magical realm and his little baby walked into a kitchen. The cooks and their chef were all promptly escorted out of the room by what seemed to be a sunflower with legs, a horde of small living boulders and a marching band of the Emperor’s own loyal followers.

Was it excessive to use so much force just to kick out a few food artisans? Yes. Was it a good show of power to remind the citizens who was their benevolent tyrant? Also yes.

Once in the kitchen, they all unanimously decided to at least look the part. That meant aprons for everyone, though Belos was the only one with a chef's hat on top of his mask.

“I think that’s about it.” Little Luz said, having collected a bunch of ingredients and placing them on the table.

She wasn’t too familiar with what lied in the kitchen, not simply due to her own inexperience but also how foreign these foodstuffs were compared to her mom’s. Thus, she just picked what seemed to fit best.

On the counter was an assortment of strange ingredients, from newt eyeballs to black tar sugar to Himalayan pink mountain salt. Luz wasn’t sure how anyone was supposed to cook these but the chef knew what to do so it shouldn’t be too hard, right?

“And… START!” Luz shouted, striking the air with a knife-hand.

Instantly, Lady Sierra rushed and grabbed whatever ingredients available and began mixing them together. A bag of rose petals, some cursed unprocessed dirt, a monstrous amount of powdered sugar, all smothered into one another until homogeneous. Occasionally, some beasts would appear and grab more things from the counter, putting them in the bowl.

At the same time, Lady Gerheade prepared her own dish, grabbing a handful of different fresh herbs and grinding them up into a paste with a mortar and pestle. Next to her, a pair of thick thorny vines slapped a large cut of meat, possibly to tenderize it. She then slowly pushed her green paste into a pan, upon which it immediately burst into flames. Gerheade watched with a smile.

Meanwhile, at the back, Emperor Belos watched in horror as the coven heads put together some unknown monstrosity. Even Lord Bastille’s abominations looked like masterpieces compared to these. That’s not to say that the Abomination Coven’s leader was bad at his speciality; that’s just the nature of his magic. Belos then shifted his attention to his daughter sitting beside him. Luz was smiling gleefully as she observed the chaos in the kitchen. He swore he could see cinder in her eyes.

For the first time ever, Belos saw a piece of himself in her and to be honest, he was both fond and somewhat concerned.

After about 20 minutes or whatever counted as that long in the Boiling Isles, two new and exciting dishes were presented to the human girl: one from Lady Sierra from the Beast Keeping Coven, the other from Lady Gerheade from the Plant Coven. The first dish was a stew — at least, he assumed it was. It was surprisingly orange and not in a good way either. Entire bones were sticking out of the foul liquid, along with the occasional bits of burnt somethings. The second dish, on the other hand, was the complete opposite — an extremely green slop that looked nothing like a salad. Wait, where did the mysterious meat go?

“Judge my dish!” Lady Sierra yelled, carrying a confident grin. Lady Gerheade said nothing but she exhumed the same idea.

Fork and spoon in hand, Luz readied herself. “Here I go! One, two…”

Out of nowhere, a huge mouth and pair of eyes appeared on the surface of the table, swallowing both meals from underneath before she could even touch them. It chewed for a few moments but then shrieked in pain as it fizzled out of reality. Below the table, a pair of clean plates dropped onto the floor, shattering upon impact.

“Oh no, it seems the table had spontaneously gained sentience and died from eating such a delicious meal.” The honest Emperor Belos exclaimed, faking a surprised tone. “Such a shame.”

“I mean, we could make more—”

“That would be unnecessary.” Belos quickly replied, flicking his finger with crimson magic. An invisible force then lifted the two coven heads out, levitating in mid-air. _“Lady Gerheade, give the blood to Lady Sierra and in return, she shall hand over enchanted fertilizer. Oom's Lake shall not be discussed any further. That is all.”_

With another flick, the two were promptly pulled out of the kitchen, closing the doors behind them. Belos had sent them to the main lobby as the details of the exchange could be dealt with later. Technically, the third mediating party should not decide the outcome of the deals. They were only there to finalize and make it fair. However, he’s dealt with them before and this couldn’t be helped. A slight abuse of power would cut the bickering short for now.

Belos sighed in relief. At least for good news, Luz did not eat any of their cooking. His lack of knowledge regarding human biology was a danger and he had no idea if she could even consume such abominations of nature. Such dishes looked like it would kill even him and little Luz was roughly half of that.

_Gggraaoww..._

Luz’s stomach grumbled, still unfilled. She rubbed her tummy with a frown, feeling more and more uneased. “Mmm…!” She groaned, frustrated.

The emperor looked at his hungry daughter and without a word, grabbed several leftover ingredients by hand. Mixing an egg, some salt and flour together, he kneaded a ball of dough and later, placed the dough back into a bowl with some ice magic, leaving it aside. While it rested, he prepared the rest of the ingredients: oblong tomatoes, vampire garlic cloves, non-poisonous mushrooms, an assortment of herbs, spices and minced meats, etc.

Standing beside him, Luz watched as he worked quietly with his hands, her head just peeking over the countertop due to her height. There were times where his cuts were uneven or sloppy, a trait unseen on the emperor before. Yet, it looked as if he had done this a long time ago and was slowly remembering.

One by one, each ingredient was prepared with some mixed together. Once done, he then flattened and cut the dough into long threads before being dropped into a pot of boiling water. The other raw materials were cooked in a pan, only for the boiled dough to be strained and mixed in as well.

It was just silence in the room. Emperor Belos focused entirely on making the dish while Luz watched fixatedly without a word. Once he deemed it finished, he placed some on a plate, just for her.

“Here.” He said, setting the plate on the table. “Eat.”

Without hesitation, Luz stabbed her fork into the dish and into her mouth. She squeaked in joy as the taste permeated into her tongue, full of otherworldly flavour. Despite its differences, she knew full well what it was.

“SPAGHETTI!” She squealed happily. “Almost like mommy’s!”

Emperor Belos chuckled. “Well, I did learn it from her.” He said with sweet praise.

It was an understatement to say he simply learnt it from her. No, it was also the first dish they shared.

Many years ago, he was invited to Camilia’s home and so, as per Earth tradition, he brought a bouquet of colourful flowers, as romance demanded. Unfortunately, the Dominican woman was allergic to bees and it just so happened that his bundle of beheaded plants had one. While she puffed up and turned red, Belos panickily searched for the mysterious cylinder she asked for and even though he did, no one was watching the kitchen at the moment, leaving the meal to burst into flames.

It was a chaotic moment that they shared and while the spaghetti was ruined, he still ate it regardless. It was something he enjoyed and yet, almost forgot.

As he reminisced of a more peaceful time, he realized that Luz had finished eating and was sitting quietly. “What is wrong, child?”

The little girl looked up, tears swelling in her eyes. “W-will I ever see mom again?”

His heart stopped. “… What makes you think otherwise?” He asked calmly.

“The adults were all panicking when I came. And I heard what you all said in the chair room.” Luz recounted, fiddling with her fingers. “I-I can’t go home, can I?”

Luz wasn’t the smartest of children but she wasn’t dumb. Her decision to trust Belos, to throw all hope at the minuscule chance that he was her father and not some random passer-by with the same name; it was all because she needed to. No child, no matter how young, would trust an unidentified person, especially one as tyrannical and cruel as Emperor Belos.

She knew it and so did he. It was fate that they met and it was fate that they stayed together.

Belos clenched his fist.

 _“You will be able to return. The Titan’s will is my own and I will make sure you return to Camilia safely.”_ Emperor Belos announced, his eyes glowing with determination.

_“I swear upon my name. So says Alexander E. Belos.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there you have it, folks! The bandage had to be pulled off sooner or later (or whatever that idiom was)! Little girl stuck in an alternate universe? Did you think it's all happy? Well, I did promise this would be fluff but there are some uncomfortable truths here that had to be dealt with or else it'll just seem kinda creepy. Don't worry, we'll be back with fluff later. Until then, comment, subscribe, kudos, the usual. I have a habit of only replying comments once I post the next chapter and I don't know why :/
> 
> Btw, when I was editing this, a different Dad!Belos fic updated and I decided to read it. Coincidentally, Belos's full name was the same for both of us. I did not copy them, it was all a coincidence. I added the middle name "E." just to make it different. Just goes to show that Alexander is such a strong name. 
> 
> My second choice was Maximilian and then I thought "That's such a pretentious name". I apologize to any Maximilians out there.


	5. Friendship is friendship, not magic.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz needs friends to contain her spunkiness. Introducing Boscha!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to post this 6 hours ago. You know what stopped me? My dad and his idea of father-son bonding. That might sound fun but guess what? Bringing me to a farm to put up fence posts is not fun. I didn't actually do it but I took a video about it for his Facebook. Now I gotta edit it later too. Btw, zero video editing skills here.
> 
> Anyway, I got a wedding to go to but to summarize, I'm bringing in Boscha. Why? Because I have a type (Catra, Sasha, etc.) and as adorable as Amity is, she's gonna have to sit in the backseat for now. Chad Boscha vs Virgin Amity, so-so. Also, there are 3 characters in this chapter has the same distinct laugh. There's a reason for that too!

* * *

“Belos, Luz needs to go to school.”

Emperor Belos, the conqueror of the Boiling Isles, the hunter of wild witches and as of the moment, the best chef in the castle, raised a brow. As of the moment, the great coven heads and their leader were in a familiar meeting room for their biannual summit. The last time they got together, it was labelled as an emergency and thus, it didn’t count. It just so happened that it took place a week or so before the official one.

“I don’t understand what you mean, Lady Gertrude. I am more than capable of teaching her magic and the politics of governance. In fact, she has done quite well in her studies.” Belos exclaimed.

“That’s not the point.” Lady Gertrude of the Healing Coven protested from her seat. Her single eye stared at the leader with a nervous glare. “She needs… companionship. People that she can mingle with.”

His brow raised higher. “I still do not see what you are implying. She has all the companionship here. Lady Kikimora, Lilith and I are more than enough for her.”

“No, no, I mean younglings of her age. Kids, you know?”

“Hm… I do not fully grasp as to why that is necessary. Speaking from personal experience, I also did not spend my younger days with close allies and I was able to rule over the isles.”

“Uh, I don’t think that’s a good comparison.” Lord Jenkins of the Oracle Coven and with moustache for hands interjected. “You’re a bit of a special case.”

Emperor Belos the mighty nodded. “Indeed, I am. And so is my flesh and blood, as expected of her. And so she requires some special treatment.”

“He means you’re a weirdo.” Lord Weiss of the Illusions Coven mocked. As always, his legs were on the table and he continued looking at his mirror.

“I-I didn’t mean it like that!”

From his seat, Emperor Belos’s eyes glowed. _“And what did you mean, oh Lord Jenkins?”_

Jenkins' teeth clattered nervously. “Ah, um, b-b-b-bla—!”

“What he means” Lady Gertrude interrupted. “Was that you’re not exactly the standard when regards to relationships. And yes, while we know that you somehow got together with a human woman—”

“Camilia was more than just a woman. Had she been a witch, I would’ve made her my empress.”

“—but that’s even more of an outlier than the outlier you already are.”

“Aye.” Lord Durin of the Construction Coven and a dwarf of a man nodded.

“Thank you, Lord Durin.” Gertrude replied before turning back to Emperor Belos. “The point is, she can’t just 'hang around' with people like ourselves. She needs those who are more to her level.”

“And what is the problem with dealing with witches such as ourselves? We are the strongest and most powerful on the Boiling Isles, unparalleled by any. Most would see it as an honour.”

“Yeah, I kinda like the kid!” Lady Sierra of the Beast Keeping Coven added, her arms crossed and voice rough as ever.

Lady Gerheade of the Plant Coven nodded as well. “Indeed. Despite her, what you say, spunky attitude, she shows great talent and a promising future.”

“I still have no yet been able to test my potions on her!” Lord Albert complained, holding up an unknown vial.

_“And you still shall not be able to do such a thing.”_

“Aw, phooey...”

Gertrude slammed her palm on the table, immediately grabbing everyone’s attention. “Us being _that_ is exactly the problem!”

Simultaneously, the rest of the coven heads, the emperor included, all stared at her with very confused looks. Lady Gertrude sighed. “Look, all of us have held our positions for almost 50 years which, despite our long lifespans, is still a very long time. Some of us even plan on retiring. None of us is, in any way, ideal lifetime companions for your daughter, not at our age and with our experience.”

“So you’re basically calling us old.” Weiss noted.

Lady Gertrude glared. _“We are old.”_

Weiss frowned. The narcissist that he was, he didn’t like to be reminded of his age. He might look like the youngest but he was alive back during the Savage Ages. Being a master illusionist allowed him to alter his appearance but that did nothing against his real body.

“Children of Luz's age will be applying for school next year. And while I am dubiously confident at the Emperor’s Coven's ability to teach a human child everything, a good social life is vital to their emotional growth, especially at her age.”

Now it was Belos's turn to frown, albeit underneath his mask. “What do you perhaps mean by 'dubious'?”

“In other words,” Gertrude continued, ignoring him. “she needs someone who can stand equal to her and none of us can do exactly that.”

Emperor Belos thought about it. Lady Gertrude’s words held some truth as much as he disagreed with. Children were such fragile creatures, both physically and emotionally. While he was sure he could protect her from all manner of dangers, emotions were not something he was used to. He was pretty sure most children were afraid of him. In fact, a baby once cried when he held them after being handed over from a young mother to be blessed.

He did not show it but the incident hurt.

Yet...

“While I understand your concerns, Lady Gertrude, I must apologize for such is simply not possible. Should my daughter's connection to me be revealed to the public, her life would be under constant threat. Outside of coven walls, I cannot guarantee her safety.”

Hearing that, Lord Albert had a brilliant idea, snapping his fingers. “Well, if that’s the case...” He then pulled a different vial from under his coat and poured its contents onto the table. The orange liquid slowly shrunk and solidified, moulding into a sealed envelope.

“I might have an idea.”

* * *

Social gatherings. A political landscape where the powerful and influential meet and mingle. One might think that in a world full of magic and myths, such a thing wouldn’t be necessary. But the reality is that no matter which universe you’re in, so long as people gather around, politics will always exist.

On the Boiling Isles, there existed many noble houses and famous families, some of which from even before Emperor Belos’s rule. The ones that emerged after the Savage Ages were founded due to their support of the Nine Main Covens, its founders having some relation to the coven heads through one way or another.

For young Boscha’s case, that would be her mother, Trisha.

The former assistant of the famous Lord Albert, master potion maker and alchemist who mixed so many concoctions that it took 3 volumes to fit it all — the 4th still halfway — Trisha immediately joined the Potion Coven after graduating from Hexside Academy.

Day and night, she mixed potions of various effects from dealing with minor headaches to turning someone’s insides into their outsides. While her family did have a reputation, it was through her efforts alone that brought it equal to the Blights. For a witch of her standing, becoming the assistant to the head to the Potion Coven was the highest honour.

Boscha loved her mother and looked up to her. For the young triclops and aspiring potion maker, Trisha was her role model. However, the woman had performed one glaring error; she quit.

When Trisha became pregnant, she had decided to quit her job in order to take care of her firstborn. It was understandable that a young mother would do such a thing but for Boscha, it seemed as if Trisha threw away everything just for her. Once she learnt of that, Boscha held a deep resentment against her loving mother. In her eyes, this woman had given up.

Boscha could not accept that. She refused to do the same mistake, refused to be remembered as a loser. Nothing scared the 6-year-old more than becoming nothing.

Yet, due to her mother’s achievements, she was still able to walk alongside other noble families. Boscha didn’t care about these other witches who stood tall only because of their names. No, Boscha would reach the top through her own efforts and no one else’s.

“Lord Albert, welcome! We are honoured to see you here!” Trisha greeted. Unlike her daughter, the woman had only two eyes and darker messier hair. “I’ve always saved a seat for you during these events but this is the first time you actually came! I apologize for being somewhat startled.”

Lord Albert waved from above, taller than her. “No apologies needed! I usually ignored your invitations. Never been a fan of parties. However, a friend asked for a favour.”

He nudged Luz forward who was hiding behind his leg. She was wearing a cute sparkly blue dress with a light blue ribbon around her waist and a gold hairband on her head. Curiously, her ears were pointy like a witch’s, courtesy of some illusion magic.

“G-good evening, my name is L-Luz Noceda. It’s a pleasure to m-meet you.” Luz greeted with a stutter, bowing slightly. Never being in a high-class party before, she felt quite nervous.

Trisha hummed. “Noceda... I’ve never heard of that family name before. Which part of the Boiling Isles are you from, little lady?”

“U-uh, um—!”

“That, my former assistant, is a secret!” Albert took over. “It’s a relatively new family with not much history. But I assure you, she has very deep roots.”

“Well, I’ll just have to take your word for it.” Trisha replied, nodding with a smile. She then pushed her daughter up front who had the fiercest scowl for a 6-year-old. She was wearing a yellow dress with her hair tied to a ponytail.

“This is my daughter, Boscha. She’ll be happy to entertain Luz for the evening. Isn’t that right, dear?”

Boscha clicked her tongue. “Keh! Whatever.”

“Boscha!” Her mother scolded before turning back to her guests. “I’m sorry about that. She just had a bad day, that’s all.”

Albert smiled, unseen by his coat. “Not at all! Children are such fascinating creatures. It’s why I opt to never have any myself!”

Trisha gave a strained smile. “R-right... Anyway, Boscha, could you show your little friend around? Lord Albert and I have some catching up to do!”

Boscha scowled harder. “She’s not my friend!”

“I’d like to be friends!” Luz replied with an innocent smile. Boscha huffed, refusing to respond.

Trisha looked at her unhappy daughter with a sad frown. She leaned down and whispered. “Come on, Boscha. Do it for mommy, please? I promise to treat you with some ice-scream later...”

The little witch girl continued to frown, straining her face muscles. After a few moments of her mother’s pleading stare, the pressure burst and she finally caved in.

“Ugh, fine! Come on!” Boscha shouted, grabbing Luz by the arm and dragging her away. Luz helplessly followed but she didn’t complain at all. She truly wanted to be friends with her.

* * *

Away from her mother, Boscha growled as she continued pulling the poor disguised human girl with her. Trisha always did this; whenever there was something to celebrate, she would make a special dinner and invite Lord Albert. The first problem was that if you did it all the time, it stopped being special. The second problem was that Lord Albert never came.

That was, until today.

This was the first time Boscha had ever met the leader of the Potion Coven in person. From her diminutive size, he was akin to a towering giant. His large coat and tophat that covered most of his body including his head didn’t help either. But the moment he spoke, she started to realize where her mother got her quirks.

Great, now two of her idols were disappointments.

“Where are we going?” Luz asked, still being pulled along. Boscha had forgotten that she was there.

The witch opened a door, revealing a fairly clean room with yellow walls. There were puffy couches with cushions covered in a sewn fabric, polished wooden drawers and tables with a classical design, and several flowers and herbs growing in tall glass vases. The rightmost wall was a large glass door and windows, allowing the setting sunlight to shine through and giving access to the patio where even more plants grew. What made the room homier were the large tomes, diagrams and documents strewn all over the place, alongside a few ceramic jars with unknown powders within, possibly for potion-making.

“Here, the living room. Don’t touch anything.” Little Boscha ordered, though more like threatened.

“Okay!” Luz complied, taking a seat on a sofa. It was extremely soft; Luz never sat on such a soft couch before. Her mom couldn’t afford it.

Luz stared at Boscha, who also stared back. While Luz had a more innocent and cheerful vibe, Boscha's was angry and murderous with arms crossed. The two sat on opposing seats, just looking at each other quietly.

...

...

...

“... Hey, wanna play hide and seek?” Luz asked, feeling bored.

Boscha pouted. “No. This is my house. You’re not allowed to touch anything!”

“Well, what do you want to play then?”

“Nothing!” she shouted. “We’re just going to wait here until dinner is ready.”

“Hng...!” Luz whined, yet didn’t voice out her complaint. Her mom always taught her to be courteous when visiting people. That meant no funny business. Plus, she was told not to make a fuss by her father as well.

“You know, your mom is really nice!” Luz praised genuinely.

Boscha scoffed. “Yeah, well, that’s all she is. Nothing but 'nice'.” She replied, the n-word laced with venom.

Even though she was just 6 years old, Luz could feel there was something wrong. “Hey, are you okay?”

“I'm _fine._ ” Boscha growled.

“Do you... wanna talk about it?”

“I said I’m fine!” she snarled, almost biting her.

She knew she was being rude but she didn’t care. Why should she? Luz was just Lord Albert's friend’s daughter. She wasn’t anyone important. Neither was her mother who gave up everything and gained nothing.

Even if she told Luz, she wouldn’t understand. No one would. The disguised human felt Boscha wasn’t happy about something but no matter what words she expressed, it wouldn’t help.

Just then, Luz had an idea.

“Hey, can you do magic?” Luz asked.

Boscha turned to her, confused. “What?”

“Can you do magic?”

Boscha shook her head. “No, we’re not taught magic until we go to school.”

“Well, I can do magic! Wanna see?” Luz offered, drumming her fingers on the couch.

Boscha was sceptical. She never heard of a kid that can do magic. Her mother always said that magic was dangerous and that children like her go to school to learn how to control it. That's what spells were.

And yet, she was... curious. Boscha nodded.

Luz hopped off the couch and walked to the coffee table in front of her with Boscha standing at the other side. She then took a deep breath, calming herself to focus. After a few breaths, she lifted a finger up in front of her, causing it to shine.

Her hairband glowed briefly.

From the tip of her index finger, a small sphere of pure light manifested itself, floating away for just a few inches before stopping. The sphere continued to give out a faint glimmer, dimming and glowing slightly every few seconds. It was not in any way particularly bright but in the darkness of a setting sun, the entire room lit.

Boscha gasped. “H-how did you that?”

In response, Luz shrugged. “I don’t know. It just happens.” She then lightly tapped the sphere, having it glide fairy-like to the triclops.

Slowly, Boscha raised her hands in a cup shape, catching the sphere. The ball of pure light did not touch her, however, held back by an unknown force but it did not fly elsewhere. It just hovered in her hands, casting a weak but kind glow.

“You can have it.” Luz said, watching as Boscha stared with awe. “Your mom said you had a bad day today. I don’t know why but she really cares about you. It’s not much but I hope it makes you feel better.”

A simple light spell. Boscha might not know how to cast it but even she understood how simple it was. But for some reason, this one felt different. It was pitiful and looked like it could break at any moment. Yet, the sphere continued to emit a faint but majestic radiance, never once shrinking or getting weaker.

Boscha stared at the light, a small melancholic look on her face. “... Thanks.”

* * *

For the first time in a long time, the dinner was... enjoyable. In fact, Boscha would even say it was fun. Luz had a bag’s worth of interesting stories to tell like how she once had a flail and that time she blew up a tower. The three-eyed girl knew that last part was fake but it sounded so real.

But all good things must come to an end. After dinner, it was time for Luz and Lord Albert to return home.

“Truly, your cooking is to die for and literally at that! I almost died several times had I not ingest some antidotes prior.” Lord Albert praised probably.

Trisha chuckled, a small blush forming across her face. “Ohohohoho! Lord Albert, you flatter me.”

Meanwhile two or three feet below, Luz waved goodbye to her new friend. “Bye, Boscha! I really like hanging out with you.”

Boscha, looking sadder than expected, grunted. “Hmph...”

With no more words to exchange, Lord Albert flicked a glass vial towards a tree, shattering and spilling the liquid onto its body. Permeating into the wood, the tree then painfully split in twain right down its centre, forming a swirling opaque portal.

“Come, young lady. Let us head off. Your father must be waiting for you. Any later and he’d probably threaten to throw me down the Howling Cliffs or worse, cut my research budget, hoho!” The coven leader joked.

The little human girl nodded and holding his hand, the two walked towards the portal. But before they could step in, however, Luz heard a voice call out to her from behind.

“LUZ!” Boscha yelled, standing by the front door. “D-do you w-want to hang out sometimes? If t-that's okay with you, I mean!”

Luz looked at Albert as if asking for permission. The potion master noticed and stared back. “Uhh, ask your father?”

She turned back to her new witch friend. “Sure! That sounds fun!”

Boscha smiled, her cheeks turning pink. Unbeknownst to her, her mother gave out a silent gasp of shock, surprised by her daughter’s expression. The little girl had a bit of a forceful personality and that could cause her to act roughly to others.

Trisha was worried that Boscha might end up alone at Hexside because of it. Thus, she planned on introducing her to the Blights' daughter next year, just before school began.

From the looks of it, however, she was worried for nothing.

With just a single step, Luz and her evening guardian entered the portal, transporting back to the Emperor’s Coven. A portal potion was not something that can be brewed easily but Luz wasn’t supposed to be in public either so a few rare ingredients were worth it.

Once they were through, the portal closed and the tree trunk with it. Distorting space and time, any trace of the hole disappeared as if the tree didn’t split in half. Magic of that level was appropriate to the leader of one of the Nine Main Covens.

Back at the front door, Boscha continued to stare at the tree. “Hey, mom?” she called without looking away.

“Yes, dear?”

“Luz said you were nice.” Boscha exclaimed. “I think so too.”

* * *

“Thanks for inviting me to dinner, Mr Albert.”

“Oh, no need to thank me, young Luz!” Albert replied cheekily. “And please, call me Al. All my friends do.”

“I don’t think the others actually do.” Luz commented.

He smiled. “Oh, they will. Someday.” He then lightly pushed her to the Emperor’s Coven's gates. “Now, go along then. This is where we part.”

“Wait, I want to ask you something!” Luz exclaimed, turning around and towards him. “How did you and dad met?”

And what a question it was. Lord Albert was caught off guard. He legitimately thought she was going to ask about his potions. It was, in his fair opinion, far more interesting.

Nonetheless, he obliged. “Hm... Well, back in the Savage Ages, I used to live alone in my tower, doing my research. Life back then was peaceful. Outside of the occasional pests, that is.”

Luz tilted her head sideways. “Pests.”

His eyes sharpened, blaring under the shadows of his face. _“Wild witches.”_

“O-oh...”

He nodded. “Indeed. When you live in a laboratory in the middle of nowhere, you become a perfect target by witches who wish to pillage of what material possessions you have. Sometimes, it’s easily to fight them off. Other times, a lot of damage was incurred.

“But then, Belos appeared! Before he was the emperor, he wore this ghastly wooden mask and a tattered cape over his peasantry clothing. He told me the Titan showed him a vision and so, he scoured across the Boiling Isles in search of the most powerful witches to support him on his conquest. I happened to be the first.”

Luz looked at him with awe. “And you accepted, right?”

Albert laughed. “Hohohohoho! ... No. I threw a potion by his feet that exploded into a 10-feet crater.”

The little girl gulped. “That sounds kinda extreme...”

“Oh, I assure you, it was not!” Albert insisted. “In fact, I was surprised he actually came back the next day. For almost two weeks, we did the same thing; he explained his purpose, tried to get close to me, I used whatever in my arsenal to stop him.

“But on the last day, he managed to beat me. Not only that but he remembered every single potion I used against him, their effects and how it was made. I was so shocked that I was willing to listen for once. Most of it was rubbish however but then he gave me an offer that only a fool would refuse.”

“What was it?” Luz asked, absorbed by the story.

Albert pointed upward, his single index finger extended straight up high. _“A promise.”_

Luz blinked, confused. “L-like a magical one?”

He chuckled. “No, a normal one. Witches are creatures of mischief. Magical binding contracts are used because we cannot trust each other. If given a chance, witches would exploit any and all loopholes. That’s why the wording is important.

“But can you imagine my surprise when he made a verbal promise? There was no spell, no guarantee, nothing but his word. He wished for my services during and after his conquest of the Boiling Isles. In return, he would provide me with one wish once he succeeded.”

“What did you wish for, Mr Albert?” she questioned.

He closed his eyes, remembering the exact words. “Materials for my research and peace against wild witches.”

“He kept his promise, right?” she asked, wanting to make sure.

“Well, somewhat. I got the materials and wild witches no longer bother me, but now I have to take care of the Potions Coven and legal witches don’t count as wild witches. So that’s a different problem.” He explained bluntly, as offensive as it was.

“Still, I don’t particularly dislike working with him. It’s peaceful now, something that was never even thought off before.” He added, reminiscing of the past. “It’s such a shame she couldn’t see it.”

Upon hearing that, Luz noticed something. “She? Who’s 'she'?”

“Just a friend! She wanted a peaceful life too. I never really cared about it but I enjoyed her company.” Albert answered. “She’s gone long before you were born. Back during the Savage Ages.”

That’s right, his friend. It’s been so long since he last thought of her. So focused on his work that he almost forgot her boisterous voice and charming face. Again, his eyes closed, thinking back of a simpler time...

_“Y’know Al, lazing around is a grand way to live. Don'tcha agree?”_

_“How is sitting around and doing nothing a grand life? Sounds like a waste to me.”_

_“Says you! All you do is play with your potions! Me, though? I just want to sit back and relax. Moments of peace are rare nowadays. Best make the most out of it!”_

_“These potions are for you and that’s the dumbest take I’ve ever heard. You and your fantasies, Neytrix! Hah!"_

_“You laugh now but mark my words; one day, the Boiling Isles will be a peaceful place that children could run into dark forests without a care! I swear on my life, hohohoho!”_

Albert sighed but underneath the darkness wrapped around his face, he faintly smiled. “... She would’ve loved to meet you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw, wrote this in 4 days. So that's about 700 words per day. I don't get to control my motivations and vibe. It just happens. Also, what's wrong with some bittersweet angst? Yes, I did it last chapter but this one is a bit less angry and just more sad. Sad is good! Sad allows you to express your frustrations by literally leaking out your stuff through them eyeholes! Don't be like me who can't cry without permission from some random person. Like, I literally cannot cry even in private. That's a problem that some parts of the world call "depression".
> 
> Anyway, one thing that struck my interest in Boscha was her monologue in front of a mirror. Her words were really specific and she emphasized the fact that she is a "star" and she doesn't care if she's hated so long as she's a winner. This chapter is an interpretation of why.
> 
> Lord Albert's backstory was fun to write. I didn't show everything about him but there is a reason why he does a lot of research and it's related to his friend, Neytrix. It's too bad he was a bit late. Also, I thought of the name when I was running around my room like a cryptid, yelling out "NEY!".
> 
> Btw, Belos's full name is "Alexander E. Belos". The "E" stands for Emperor.


	6. Fashion is stupid feat. Eda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz goes shopping for clothes. Kikimora is forced to watch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fucking dammit, I wrote this fic to get away from plot but nope, I'm just naturally getting into deep lore. Why does this keep happening? Curse you, fingers! Also, my bro allowed me to play his Switch so I've been killing it on BOTW and Tetris. I am also currently lost so there's that.
> 
> So yeah, it's Luz and clothes. Also, deep lore because fuck me, am I right? School is starting in ten days and I'm scared as shit since I need to get a thesis topic (why the fuck does engineering even do thesis??? they aren't researchers!!!), pick an elective and not flunk this one class that I already failed twice because the German college education system is wack.
> 
> So yeah, I hope you enjoy. And the title did not lie.

* * *

The Boiling Isles, a land built on top of a fallen Titan, home to many dangerous beasts and powerful witches, was no ordinary place. Incredible and unnatural events occur here constantly. No matter the time nor the place, the isles would always bring about many surprises and challenges onto its denizens.

Kikimora knew that. After all, she was born during the Savage Ages.

Every day without fail, the red devil-like witch would wake up at the crack of dawn, earlier than anyone else. Despite dressing up in clothes befitting of those in the Emperor’s Coven, she was not part of it, not exactly. She was the right-hand person of Emperor Belos and so, anything relating to him was her responsibility. She was loyal to the emperor first, the coven second.

Once she was ready, her morning routines began. This included checking breakfast prepared for coven members and workers, inspecting the castle’s rooms and environment, commencing morning prayers to the Titan, etcetera. Later on, she’d meet her leader, the great Emperor Belos, to bring up his daily itinerary.

It was simple, clean and exactly like clockwork. She did it for decades and she was quite good at it.

Then, everything changed when a human girl appeared. Immediately, her daily routine was thrown in a blender.

You see, there were two problems with handling the young Luz Noceda. The first was the fact that she was a child. Kikimora was not a fan of children. They were her size and yet, were no different than demons. Luz might act all cute but Kikimora could not forget being chased by a flail-wielding psychopath.

The second was the secrecy. Belos had ordered the knowledge to be kept secret. Belos, Lilith and her were the only people that knew her blood relation. To coven members, Luz was just a wayward child that Emperor Belos took in due to his compassionate soul. To everyone else, she didn’t even exist.

Kikimora didn’t like Luz. She wasn’t ashamed to admit that. She didn’t like many things.

The girl was a rock that ruined her predictable life. She liked it back when everything fits in place; when everything made sense. With her around, things fell apart. Belos skipped his public meals in order to watch over Luz, the other coven heads were visiting the castle far more frequently than she liked and now, an entire wing was being renovated.

It was chaos. She didn’t like that too.

And yet, she was forced to accept it. The girl was Emperor Belos's daughter and Kikimora would follow her lord to the ends of the world if she had to.

“Morning, my lord.” Kikimora greeted with a bow. Usually, she’d see him during the prayers but he had decided to skip that too.

Emperor Belos nodded, sitting on his throne. “Kikimora, I have an important assignment for you. Currently, you are the only one capable.”

Kikimora’s eyes widened. “Of course, my lord! I accept with full pleasure.”

Under his mask, Belos raised a brow. “I haven’t yet explained it. It’s nothing urgent, mind you. I was going to delegate it to Lilith but she had other matters to attend to.”

Kikimora shook her head. “There is no need! Whatever Lilith can do, I assure you as her senior, I can do better. If you wish, I would even burn down a city and set its citizens ablaze.”

“Uh...” Belos said, baffled. He then coughed in his fist. “A-hem, don’t do that.”

“Of course, my lord.”

“Nonetheless, if you are so adamant about it, I have no reason to decline. It is not something I can do myself.” He exclaimed. “It relates to my daughter.”

Hearing that, Kikimora felt her heart crack. She didn’t show it, however. Years of experience trained her to hide her expressions. “O-of course, Belos— I mean, my lord!”

Well, she tried.

“... Is there something of matter? You seem agitated.” He asked, showing concern.

Frantically, the red witch shook her head. “Not at all, my lord! I was just surprised, that’s all.”

“I will not force you if you wish to decline. As I said, it is not urgent.”

“I can do it!” She shouted before straightening herself. “P-please, my lord.”

Belos scratched his chin in thought. Kikimora was acting strangely today and he wasn’t sure why. Still, it’d be rude to enquire her of it and thus, he let it go for now.

“Hm... Well, if you insist. It has come to my realization that Luz lacks clothing outside of her current attire. While I would hire a seamstress to design a set for her, she is still a secret to the public. Thus, the best way to acquire clothing for her is to procure it from the nearby town of Bonesborough.”

With a snap of a finger, a small bag of coins materialized in front of the small witch, as if pulled from the fabric of space-time. “Take these funds. Spend it however you wish. Make sure to bring Luz with you.”

Kikimora did not reply. Accepting the coins, she silently left the throne room, ready to fulfil her mission, whether she enjoyed it or otherwise.

* * *

Bonesborough; a particularly dense township surrounded by the Titan’s ribs and the unofficial capital of the Boiling Isles, not like it has any. With massive monster-like architecture and touch of gothic design, the town was one of the most bustling places to be. Many noble houses such as the Blights and the Clawthornes lived there, though on the outskirts.

The Emperor’s castle was located far from it but it was still the closest settlement there was. Surrounding the castle was a wasteland where the concentration of magic was so dense that no natural life could spawn there. Nobody knew why that was the way it was since the Savage Ages were left mostly unrecorded.

In order to travel from the castle to the dense town, a carriage was needed, preferably the flying type. The glorious Emperor Belos had his own personal chariot, pulled by magical stone gargoyles that turned to statues when inactive. These weren’t living things — just puppets without strings. Still, that didn’t stop Luz from petting them.

Due to safety reasons, Luz was wearing her gold hairband today.

“Here we are, Princess Luz; welcome to Bonesborough. Please keep a close distance to me at all times.” Kikimora exclaimed, parking the chariot. Yet, it fell to deaf ears as the 6-year-old stared in awe of the majestic buildings that made up the town.

“What’s that?!” Luz pointed.

“That would be the library.”

“And that?!”

“That’s Hexside School of Magic and Demonics.”

“What about that?!”

Kikimora turned to where little Luz was pointing, finding a small makeshift stall that did not look like it was up to code. Curiously, she did notice an assortment of clothes, unlike anything she had ever seen on the Boiling Isles.

Kikimora blinked. “I... have no idea.”

By the stall stood a young lady with puffy hair and a red dress. Her hair was grey in colour but had strands of bright orange in contrast. With of wave of her finger, items from a box nearby all sorted itself into the table, the bigger ones in the back while the smaller trinkets upfront. The woman gave a toothy smile. “There we go! Maybe I should make a sign...”

“A-hem.”

“Ooo, my first customer! I’ll be right with ya. Just give me a sec...” The lady said, before rummaging through some junk and pulling out a ruined purple tophat and a pair of hypno-glasses, held together by some string. “Welcome to the Human Collectables! You want something from the human realm? Then you’ve come to the right place!”

“Oh, how convenient. I’ve been looking for some human children’s wear.” Kikimora noted out loud.

“Kids’ stuff, huh? Well, I might have something in stock. By the way, I also do commission! For a price...” She said. However, she realized there was no one in front of her. Confused, she took off her glasses and looked around. “Uh, you still there? Are you a ghost or something? Because dead or not, you still have to pay.”

“A-hem.” Kikimora coughed. “Down here.”

The woman looked down and there, behind the table, was a short red demon and a little witch.

“Hi!” Luz greeted, waving her hand.

“Uh, hey?” she greeted back. “You’re definitely not the one I was talking to which means it’s you, shortstack.”

Kikimora glared. “Do not call me that. You may address me as Lady Kikimora of the Emperor’s Coven. From your description and choice of vernacular, I assume you must be Edalyn Clawthorne.”

The woman known as Edalyn — or Eda for short — looked at the petite witch in shock. “The Emperor’s Coven?!” Slamming her hands together, Eda summoned her staff and twirled it around, ready. “Back off! I didn’t do anything illegal yet!”

Kikimora raised a brow. “ _‘Yet’_?”

“Also, how do you even know me? The only person in that coven that knows would be—” Eda then gasped. “Lilith! She told you about me, didn’t she?!”

The red demon witch nodded. “Yes, she did. About your curse and everything. Though so far, that is of no importance to us other than your covenless status.”

“I already told her a billion times that I don’t want to join her stupid coven! But if you’re here to arrest me, well good luck! I’m quite slippery for my age, little girl.” Eda said, grinning.

“I’m older than you.” Kikimora muttered. “Anyway, I am not here to capture you, Edalyn Clawthorne. While you may be a wanted criminal, you’re of no threat to the emperor. Should we want you behind bars, _you will not survive even a day._ ”

Despite her less-than-reassuring words, Eda hesitantly lowered her staff albeit still somewhat on guard. Eda prided herself to be extremely skilled in magic and despite her medical-magical condition, she still continued to study all forms of magic on her own, legal or not. Her thirst for knowledge was bottomless, comparable to that of Emperor Belos himself.

However, if Kikimora was telling the truth…

“Well, why are you here then? Don’t tell me you were serious about getting those kids’ clothes. Look, I get that there aren’t a lot of shops that sell clothes for witches your size but you don’t have to do this.” Eda expressed, shaking her head in sympathy.

Kikimora stared at her, unamused. “… They are not for me. They are for the girl.”

“Hi again!” Little Luz waved.

Eda stared at the little currently-not-human girl and then back to Kikimora. With her index fingers and thumbs, she formed a rectangle similar to a portrait and started measuring the two customers, comparing them to each other.

Eda baulked, traumatized. “Sheesh, I am never having kids. That must’ve been painful.”

“She is not mine.”

“Ah, that makes much more sense! Snnrk!” Eda said in relief, snorting. “Well, I won’t ask who she belongs to. Give me a minute to get the clothes out!”

A minute or so and an unseen disaster in the tent later, Eda returned with two boxes of clothes, hand-picked from either trash bins, trash slugs or human trash bins which were far more exotic. She visited the human realm several times before and she never liked it there. It was too peaceful to the point that it was unnerving.

“Here we go! These are all the clothes I got that fit her size, give or take a few inches. Plus, I got another box full of accessories for all ages!” Eda exclaimed, placing both onto the table. While Luz checked the clothes, ranging from Halloween costumes to otter suits, Kikimora scoured through the other box of junk.

“… This is a knife.”

“Baby’s _first_ knife!” Eda added. “Every kid needs one, in case they ever meet a wizard and want to stab them in the thighs.”

Kikimora shrugged. “That’s fair.”

“Miss Kiki?” Luz called, still looking through the box. “I don’t know which one to pick.”

She sighed. “Hah, we’ll just take all of them.”

Immediately like an owl finding shiny things, Eda's eyes twinkled greedily. “Fantastic choice! This box of fine human baby clothing is a bargain! I’d say that’ll cost ya... 10— wait no, 15 gold pieces!”

Now, Luz was a 6-year-old human girl. Inherent to her age and species, she did not understand how much that amount of money was worth. The main currency on the Boiling Isles were 'snails' which weren’t made of gold nor snails.

To give a good idea how much that was, a gold coin was about 10 silver, while a silver was 100 snails. Lilith's monthly wage was roughly 1 and a half gold pieces.

“Make it 3 on account of the Emperor’s Coven not arresting you at this very moment due to selling without a permit and tax fraud.”

“It’s a deal!” Eda cheered. “You, my good ma’am, drive a hard bargain!”

“You’re lucky I didn’t drive it any lower.” Kikimora grumbled, tossing 3 gold pieces to Eda.

Money in hand, the owlish lady bit the coins to check. Seeing there was no dent, she chuckled, completely satisfied, and pocketed them carefully. This will last her and King for the next several months.

“Hehe, thanks for shopping at Human Collectables. Exclusively at Bonesborough.” Eda announced, grinning.

Kikimora huffed. Well, this better not be a waste of time and resources. Drawing a magic circle, she neatly packed the box and sent it flying around the corner and to the chariot. The gargoyles could watch over it.

“Come then, Miss Luz. It’s time we leave this wretched pla—” Kikimora suddenly stopped. Looking around, she immediately realized one major problem.

Luz wasn’t here.

“L-Luz?” The red witch stuttered. She then glanced at Eda, hoping the owlish lady had noticed where the secret daughter of the emperor had gone off. Instead, Eda shrugged, just as clueless as she was.

At that very moment, Kikimora felt her heart explode and not in a good way.

* * *

Luz was a smart child. Whenever she went shopping with her mom, she’d always hold her hand and her mom would tell her to stick close all the time. She’d listen since, after all, Luz was a good girl.

Luz, however, was a smart _child_. Emphasis on the child. Like many children her age, she still moved on the whim of her curious mind. It can’t be helped that she would chase after things that caught her eye. The problem arose on the fact that since she didn’t grow up on the Boiling Isles, _everything_ caught her eye.

“Wow...!” the human girl awed, absorbing everything she saw. There were so many different people here with so many different looks. Some had one eye, or ten ears, or even extra limbs. She even saw a dog that wore clothes and a pair of glasses!

Luz giggled. Dogs shouldn’t wear clothes.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going and suddenly, she hit a brick wall. Not literally, though. It was just a really big and gruff-looking reptilian man wearing a white and grey robe.

“Oof!” Luz voiced, having fallen on her butt. “Owie...”

“Owo, who’s-ssss this-ssss?” the tough lizard asked. Realizing it was a child, he then crouched down to her level. “Heyyyy, kid?”

“Y-yeah?”

He glared at her, hard. “Where are your parents? Don’t yyyyou know it’s-ssss dangerousssss for a kid like your-ssssself to be out on your own?”

Luz blinked. “Oh.” She then shook her head. “I’m not alone. I’m here with my dad's friend!”

“And who would that be?”

Luz, however, crossed her arms into an X. “I can’t tell you! Strangers are dangerous!”

“Hsssss, that’s-ssss very wise-ssss of you. But I’m no ssssstranger. I’m a friend of your father.” The snake person replied.

Luz was a _smart_ kid. Emphasis on the smart. She wouldn't fall for it that easily. It took more than sweet words to convince her. Glaring at the suspicious person, she frowned.

“Prove it.”

The reptilian smiled. A magic circle in one hand and a mirror in the other, he waved the mirror in front of his face and just out of view, his body seamlessly transformed. Instantly, Luz recognized who it was and gave a huge smile.

“Mister Weiss!” She shrieked happily.

Lord Weiss, leader of the Illusion Coven. Back in the Savage Ages, he was known as the Grey Wolf and was the commander of a group of executioners under the rule of a tyrannical and power-hungry duke. Not much had changed since then, though instead of a duke, it’s now an emperor.

Luz only ever met him once when Belos properly introduced her to the coven heads. Still, if this creepy old man was a friend of her father’s, then he technically was trustworthy.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Belos's hybrid spawn! What a surprise to see you here.” Weiss said with a smirk. Though his words sound cruel, it was not intentional. He was a narcissist and simply lacked a filter.

Luz nodded in delight. “Hmph! Me and Miss Kiki are buying clothes!”

“Clothes?” He asked, surprised. “If you were buying clothes, you should’ve asked me! After all, I am the most stylish and pretty among the old krusty coven heads.”

He twirled his finger around, drawing a magic circle in the air. Then in a big blue-tinted poof, a line of clothes suddenly appeared, infinitely long and all perfectly sized for the little girl. Weiss stared at his selection, contemplating his choices.

“Hmm... No, no, no. Ugh, absorbing horrid! No, no...” Finally, he managed to pick one. “Oh, how about this?”

With another magic circle, Luz was surrounded by a cloud of smoke that, once dissipated, had changed her outfit with the one chosen prior. In this case, she looked like a fairytale prince with puffy shoulders, tight sleeves, gold trimmings, heeled leather shoes and a medieval beret. Her cape was blue, however — a contrast to the shades of yellow, gold and silver that made up the outfit.

“Nothing wrong with going back to the classics. Like a young noble, ready to win the hearts and minds of princesses everywhere!” Weiss announced, smiling at his choice.

Luz, on the other hand, disagreed. She felt the clothes were too restrictive and there was so much yellow. Plus, every time she lifted her leg or moved her arm, the clothes squeaked.

“This feels weird...” Luz whined.

Weiss scratched his chin, watching the young girl move around awkwardly. “Hmm, I guess there is a thing about it being _too_ classic.” He then snapped his fingers, dispelling the spell. “How about something more... modern?”

Again, blue clouds appeared and with it, a new outfit. A simple half-white-indigo short-sleeved hoodie, high-waisted jean shorts, dark grey leggings and a pair of white slip-on shoes. To put it all together, he even added a pair of ebony earrings. If she was almost twice her current age, Weiss could see a hair dyed, emotionally awkward teen having a crush on that.

Luz started waving both arms giddily. “Ooo, I like this one!”

“You would, wouldn’t you?” he said back sarcastically, snapping his fingers. Like before, the new outfit disappeared in a puff of smoke, causing Luz to moan sadly. “But no. It’s far too modern. Borderline futuristic, if you ask me. Wear it when you’re older.”

Weiss leaned down, getting a closer look at his emperor's daughter. “Huh, maybe you’d like to look like your daddy.”

For the third time today, Luz's appearance changed. This time, there wasn’t much to say. She looked like a carbon-copy of her father, the everlasting Emperor Belos, but... tiny. Tiny beetle mask, tiny white cloak and even a tiny staff.

Luz took a step forward and almost fell over. “I-I can’t see anything.”

Weiss rolled his eyes. “Your father was never good at fashion. First time we met, I tried to kill him. Partially because it was my job but also because he was wearing literal rags.”

Just then, he had a brilliant idea. “I got it! Why didn’t I think of this earlier?!”

In a last-ditch effort, Weiss drew his final magic circle and like a majestic phoenix, Luz evolved in a brilliant flame. She opened her eyes and to her surprise, she looked like nothing she ever dreamt of.

A dark-blue sleeveless torn vest with a fur collar, black and purple leotard, turquoise slip-on shoes and a puffy hairstyle. In short, it was pretty much what Weiss wore.

The illusionist shed a single tear. _“It’s beautiful.”_

“It’s garbage, that’s what it is!”

Suddenly out of nowhere, a fireball flew through the air and hit him square in the face, causing him to explode into glitter. All of his magic immediately cancelled out, putting Luz back in her sweater and removing the line of clothes from existence.

Looking behind, Luz found the source of the fireball: Kikimora. The petite witch ran over to Luz's side, checking for any injuries. “Are you alright, my lady?!”

“Y-yeah.” Luz replied, slightly shaken.

Kikimora nodded. “Good. Let us leave before that creep returns.”

But it was too late. From the puddle of glitter that was once Weiss, a large cloak spawned from below, growing in size before being thrown in the air, revealing the illusionist underneath, sparkling and stealing the spotlight.

Weiss scoffed. “Hmph, rude!” He then turned to the duo and upon seeing who it was, he grinned in ecstasy. “Why, if it isn’t little Kikimora! Didn’t realize his highness would send a mangy mutt to watch over his flesh and blood. How careless of him!”

“Bite your tongue, Lord Weiss!” Kikimora hissed. “Emperor Belos would not stand and accept such slander against the princess and in essence, himself.”

Of all the people she had to meet, it just had to be Lord Weiss. From the first day they met, the bipolar man had belittled her. In his eyes, Kikimora was just a stray Emperor Belos picked up during his first years of rule. Nowadays, demons were treated equally under the Emperor’s Coven but that wasn’t the case back during the Savage Ages.

“Is it really slander if it was directed at his pet? Personally, I think not.” He shot in return. “In any case, 'princess' is quite a lofty title for a small human girl.”

Kikimora glared at the man. “She is the daughter of Emperor Belos. There is no title more fitting. Not like you would understand, you second-rate witch with third-rate magic.”

“Oho ho hoo! The little demon has claws! Figuratively and literally, both duller than a baby’s bottom.”

“Grr...!” Growling, Kikimora summoned a flame at the tip of her finger. But before she could fling it at him, Weiss showed his mirror at her, creating a reflection. From the glass, a shadow copy of her poured out, identical in shape but not in colour nor orientation.

Kikimora flung her finger forward at him and the shadow did the same, causing two streams of intense fire to smash into each other, exploding all around.

Townsfolk and passersby screamed in surprise as the two witches entered combat. “Witches’ duel!” one shouted out, causing a crowd to form around them.

“Is that all the little demon has to offer?! Honestly, even after almost 4 decades, you just as disappointing as when we first found you!” Weiss mocked, unfazed by the heat.

“Shut up!” Kikimora yelled, increasing her magic. The fire from her fingertip intensified, slowly overpowering her copy's.

Weiss smiled harder. “Hah, I actually felt a bit of that! Now you’re as strong as a kindergartener!”

“Shut. Up.”

“A few more years and I might even consider hiring you as a coffee maker.”

“I said, shut up!” Kikimora shouted, pushing even more magic out. Her bile sac working on overdrive, she felt her whole body weakening bit by bit. In a few more seconds, she wouldn’t even have enough to lift a rock.

But she didn’t care. So long as she got to wipe that smirk off his face, she’d do anything. Lord Weiss had belittled her for so long and she was tired of it.

Her fire spell slowly encroached onto the copy, forcing through the weak flames. Just a hair’s breadth from hitting its fingertip, Weiss placed a hand onto the copy's shoulder and clenched.

His face transformed to that of a hollow smile, his other persona manifesting.

_“Here, let me put you back in your place.”_

Spontaneously, the copy's fire spell erupted tenfold, rapidly consuming Kikimora’s flames. Her eyes widened in shock and horror as her magic was pushed away, her seeing nothing but a wall of flames. She was just a Pomeranian compared to his wildebeest.

This was the strength of a head of the Nine Main Covens.

_“Stop!”_

Inches before it reached her, the flames died out instantly, leaving neither soot not smoke. The power shocked Weiss back to normal, a surprise even to him. He then searched left and right, desperately looking for who countered his puppet's flames. And right there, behind the weak red demon, stood Luz with her finger pointed out and a small white light on its tip.

Her eyes glowed a pure white and her hairband cracked.

Weiss blinked. “Oh. Now, this is an interesting development.”

Luz ignored him however and ran to Kikimora's side, looking extremely worried. “Miss Kiki, are you okay?!”

Kikimora did not respond, her eyes widened and she herself left speechless. Whatever Luz had done defeated the flames as if it was nothing. She figured the little girl was powerful — as expected from her bloodline — but she didn’t think this much. So much pure unfiltered magic and Kikimora couldn’t even feel it.

Weiss straightened himself. “Well, this has been quite an event. Isn’t that right, little Kikimora?”

Before she could respond, Luz turned around and glared at the older man. Looking closer, he realized the girl really looked like her father.

“Say sorry!” Luz demanded.

He stared at her. “... What?”

“You hurt Miss Kiki! You have to say you’re sorry!”

Weiss felt offended. He might be loyal to her father but she was a different story. Luz was a cute kid but not too cute. He felt the urge to argue but then realized something; she was a child and they were in public. Would he really stoop so low as to fight a child?

The crowd stared at him, waiting for a response.

Rolling his eyes, he silently sighed. “I’m sorry, Kikimora.” He said sarcastically.

Luz frowned. She knew he didn’t mean it but this was as much as she’d get from him. She then turned back and helped Kikimora onto her feet.

“Come on, let’s go home.” Luz said, holding the red demon's hand.

“R-right...”

As the two walked away, Weiss waved goodbye from behind, a genuine smile stretched across his face. “See you again soon, princess! Tell your father I said hi.”

* * *

On the chariot heading back to the Emperor’s castle, Lady Kikimora, right-hand person of the emperor, looked down solemnly and in shame. There was no sweet-talking in this; she was, in every essence, humiliated.

She knew she couldn’t beat Lord Weiss. Out of all the heads, he was the most dangerous. He was a former executioner and knew full well how to handle witches like her. One of the reasons he was even loyal to Belos was because he killed Weiss’s old boss.

At least, that’s what she understood about him. The _promises_ Belos made with the coven heads were personal. They only ever told it to those they trust.

“... Princess Luz?”

“Yu-uh?”

“I... apologize, for my behaviour today. It was unbefitting of me to act in such a manner. I am not proud of the side of me you saw at the market.” Kikimora bowed. “If you wish to tell Emperor Belos if what happened, I will not protest.”

Luz tilted her head, puzzled. “I don’t want that.”

Kikimora’s eyes widened. “B-but—!”

“Mister Weiss was being mean to you. That’s not very nice. I don’t know why but I don’t care. People shouldn’t be mean to people.”

Such a familiar feeling…

When Emperor Belos claimed his dominion over the Boiling Isles, the first few years were nothing short of a disaster. Instantly, he became an enemy to every witch that opposed him. However, Emperor Belos was ready. He had gained allies before his coronation and predicted that his enemies would attack him in doves.

But not everyone there hated him. Some were just unfortunate souls forced to join out of fear.

She was there, surrounded in ash and cinder. The skies were black and the battlefield was littered with bodies. The very ground turned to glass from all the magic. Most demons can’t use magic so she was an exception, fighting for uncaring masters. She was so young, she didn’t remember what life was before then.

_“Demon. Are you here to kill me?”_

_“...”_

_“A quiet one, aren’t you? I am Alexander E. Belos. In a few days, if everything goes as planned, I will become Emperor Belos.”_

_“...”_

_“You are afraid of me. That’s understandable. Many fear what they do not understand and act like savages from it. I do not enjoy such senseless violence.”_

_“...”_

_“From the looks of it, neither did you.”_

_“...”_

_“... What is your name, child?”_

_“... Kikimora.”_

_“Kikimora. A splendid name. Let us go, then. A new era awaits.”_

She closed her eyes, her heart at ease. Luz truly did have her father’s blood in her but not just his. The woman that her liege loved was also a part of her and Kikimora finally understood why he fell for her to begin with. Such a kind woman to raise a kind girl.

Looking outward, Kikimora smiled. “Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah. There's that. Btw, did you know that King can't use magic? Also, Hooty is a demon. But then, what's the difference between a demon, a beast and a witch? Well, here's my explanation, conveniently not in the chapter because I don't wanna. 
> 
> "Demons are beasts touched by magic and is given sapiency aka a smart brain. Some demons can use magic but they're quite rare ie; Kikimora. They have equal rights now because of Belos but back then, they were treated as any other beasts. Still, some culture stuff is hard to kill which is why King (with Eda's mind) was treated as a pet in that one body swap episode despite being able to talk and stuff. Also, magic kinda determines ranks so most demons are of the lower class."
> 
> There, class system implemented. I'm never bringing this back again. Also yes, I planned on Weiss being a dick. I already wrote that in Ch.2. He's a dick and always is a dick. He's not completely unreasonable though but is loyal only to Belos. Idk where I'm going with this. Imma go die in bed whatevs.


	7. That one SpiderMan quote is bogus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz goes to the playground to hang out with Boscha. Meanwhile, Lilith learns how not to be so much of a stick in a butt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SJFOSNFOVSE HFSENJFJSPF
> 
> A perfect way to start the chapter notes. Classes are on this Tuesday (aka tomorrow) and I'm not feeling good about it. I'll be honest; if I could choose what to do, I'd rather drop out. I mean, not all jobs require a degree. Unfortunately, that's not the case for me.
> 
> Btw, this chapter is a bit personal to me. It's not the best of quality since I wrote it in a day with zero plot in mind, so it might as well just be filler. But you'll understand why. So again, not my best work but it hits home.

Boscha was all alone.

Not like she was bothered by that. She’s used to it. Her dominating personality just didn’t attract many friends. Not her fault that every other kid was weak. _‘Oh boo hoo, the mean three-eyed girl pushed me and I fell on some poop.’_ Pfft, as if she’d cry about that.

Still, she never had a real friend before...

Boscha was all alone at the playground. She just arrived and in the usual fashion, her mother Trisha was nearby, reading a book. It had a tie on the cover and the title was about colour and shades.

“O-oh my...!” Her mom gasped, her face turning red.

What was that woman reading? Boscha had no idea.

The little girl tapped her foot, slowly losing her patience. She had been waiting for 5 minutes which, from the perspective of a 6-year-old, was too long.

Did she get stood up? Was this what being stood up meant?

If it was... Boscha felt really sucky.

Thankfully, her doubts were quickly destroyed the moment she saw a dark-skinned girl by the playground gate.

“Boscha! Hi!” Luz screamed, waving happily. Behind her, a pompous goth lady walked with her, with skin paler than snow.

“Princess, please don’t run! You might trip and hurt yourself!” The lady shrieked.

In response, little Luz gave an apologetic smile. “Hehe, sorry, Miss Lilith.”

“Remember; the schedule states that you are only allowed out for an hour. Considering the travel speed, I’d reduce that to 45 minutes.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Do not run, do not jump! If you must go anywhere quickly, walk briskly just like you trained.”

“Mmm.”

“Above all else, don’t put yourself in danger! Do you understand?!”

Luz fiddled with her fingers. “Yes, Miss Lilith...”

Lilith breathed in and out, her shoulders relaxing. “Thank you, Princess. I know it’s a bit constricting but I’m just trying to keep you safe. Your father will have my head if anything happened to you...” She said, quietly muttering the last part.

“Can I please go and play now?” Luz pleaded. “Pretty please?”

“Hgh, alright. You may go.” Lilith replied, waving her off.

“Yay!” Luz cheered, running off.

“Princess!” Lilith worriedly chastised, though it fell to deaf ears. Now alone, she sighed and head to the playground’s designated waiting and lookout spots — a park bench.

Meanwhile, Luz hurriedly ran towards her only friend (so far), Boscha. Both girls looked happy to see one another. “Boscha!”

“Luz! Took you long enough!” Boscha scolded with a pout.

“Sorry...”

“It’s fine. I already forgive you.”

“Aww, thanks Boscha!” Luz said, immediately hugging her. The three-eyed girl blushed, pushing her friend off.

“Yeah, yeah. Now, come on! Let’s go play by the swings first!” Boscha exclaimed.

With a smile, Luz followed from behind. “Okay!”

At the swings, the girls each took turns pushing each other. Their legs were too short and so, neither could swing by themselves. Luz was able to swing up really high since Boscha was naturally strong but the same couldn’t be said otherwise.

And yet, Boscha didn’t mind. She enjoyed her company more than the swings.

But she did have a question in mind. “Hey, Luz?”

“Grr...!” Luz grunted, struggling to push Boscha on the swing. In the end, she gave up. “Hah, sorry... I just have weak kid arms.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I just wanted to ask; who’s that pale lady watching you? Is she your mom?”

Luz turned around, seeing the said pale lady watching from the sidelines. Her posture was straight, her hands crossed under her belly and she was staring at her fiercely. Luz was sure she didn’t even blink.

She turned back, almost laughing. “Miss Lilith? She’s not my mom! I don’t even look like her!”

Boscha raised a brow, though not her middle one. “Well, who is she then?”

“She’s my babysitter.”

“Babysitter?” Boscha echoed. “But you’re not a baby!”

Luz frowned. “I know but dad says I can’t go out without adult supervision.”

Boscha tilted her head and blinked. “What’s 'supervision'?”

“I think it’s seeing through walls.”

“Adults can see through walls?!” Boscha turned around, looking at Trisha. “Mom! Can adults see through walls?!”

“W-what?” Trisha stuttered, startled by her daughter’s yell. She even almost dropped her book.

However, Boscha didn’t wait for a response and instead, instantly shifted back to Luz. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s what it means.”

The disguised human nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Still, I don’t think my dad trusts me that much. At the castle, it’s always Miss Kikimora or Miss Lilith that’s watching me when he’s not around.”

“Maybe he’s just worried about you?” Boscha guessed. For some reason, the idea reminded her of her own parent. Though, she shook it off.

Luz cringed. “I know that but Miss Kikimora and Miss Lilith are both so serious! I had to go to safety lessons and everything. It’s just classes and more classes and it’s so boring now…!”

Suddenly, Luz had a brilliant idea. “Hey, what if you come with me to my place? We can have a sleepover!”

“What’s a sleepover?” Little Boscha asked.

“It’s when friends hang out but after dinner!” She answered. “Movies have it all the time!”

Boscha grinned at the thought. “That sounds fun! I’ll ask my mom later.”

“Neat!” Luz chirped. She then attempted to push Boscha on the swings a second time and just like before, she didn’t get far.

“...”

“...”

“... Wanna go play at the slide?”

“Yeah.”

* * *

So... This was the Emperor’s daughter.

With how little interaction Lilith had with the little girl, she was honestly surprised. Not at the fact that the emperor had a child with a human woman. No, she was way past that. The fact that Luz was nothing like her father.

Emperor Belos was cruel, cunning and ruthless. He was a master strategist and an unparalleled witch of incredible power and skill. Challenging him in any way was akin to accepting a death sentence. He would show no mercy to his enemies.

Seeing Luz, the one that carried his blood, play around by the swing set with another girl of her age was incredibly jarring. For one, Luz actually had a friend somehow despite never leaving the castle. And two, the little girl seemed so... normal.

Emperor Belos had always stood out to her as someone so above the populace, otherworldly or even godlike. In contrast with Luz who was so normal that had Lilith met her without prior knowledge, she wouldn’t even have batted an eye.

Even after almost a month, the raven lady still couldn’t wrap her head around it.

“Mom! Can adults see through walls?!” the little three-eyed girl yelled.

Next to Lilith sitting on the bench, a two-eyed lady was left startled, her book almost falling from her grasp. “W-what?”

The little girl — Lilith assumed her to be the lady's daughter — didn’t repeat herself and went back to Luz. The mother sighed, the blush still apparent. She was so immersed in the book that she barely paid attention to her surroundings.

In that brief moment, however, the raven lady was able to eye on the book's cover.

Lilith raised a brow. “Interesting choice of literature...”

“Eep!” the two-eyed lady gasped. “Sorry, sorry! I didn’t think anyone would notice...”

“Still, I’d refrain from reading that in public. It sends a bad message.”

“Right! That, uh, makes sense. I’ll just put this away...” She muttered, putting the book in her bag.

The two sat quietly as they watched the children play. They started with the swings and now have moved on to the slide. It was made of grey smooth stone and as far as Lilith remembered, existed even before she was born. It still had its iconic demon face carved to the side.

Watching the two kids play on it brought a sense of unease. Lilith was sure that thing was cursed.

“So...” the lady drawled out. “How is Emperor Belos's daughter these days?”

Lilith blinked. Upon processing those words, her face turned two shades paler, gawking in shock. Was the secret spilled? And so quickly at that. But how? Every precaution was taken and every possible leak patched. Those of the Emperor’s Coven that knew even took a magical oath.

If word got out, the emperor would have her head.

Lilith began sweating in panic. “N-n-no! Emperor Belos has no daughter! I-I don’t know what you are implying, y-you—!”

The lady giggled, waving her hand. “It’s fine. Lord Albert already told me about it.”

The head of the Potions Coven? “L-Lord Albert?!”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Trisha, his former assistant. Sorry about the book earlier. It was a gift, I swear.” She then turned back to the kids, feeling grateful to see her daughter smile. She even managed to ignore the creepy-looking slide. “Honestly, it shook me to the core when he told me too. It took all of my willpower to _not_ break down that night, hohoho!”

“I-I see...”

“Still, you look stressed. They’re just kids playing at a playground. You should relax a little.”

Lilith straightened herself, maintaining her image. “His highness's daughter’s life is my responsibility. I can’t afford to lower my guard.” Lilith then glanced at Trisha. “It’s not the same as any other child.”

“Hm... I guess you’re right. But it’s not like anyone else knows that, right?” She nudged her head at the kids' general direction. “As far as the world knows, Luz is just a normal child.”

“But she’s not.”

Trisha smiled. “She is. Who her father is doesn’t change that.”

Lilith glared at the single parent. What she just said could be seen as treasonous and would’ve been to, if Luz's status was public. After all, you can’t just send a random person to prison with zero grounds, not without the risk of revealing the secret.

“You know, someday she might replace Emperor Belos. The firstborn of a dynasty. It’s a lot of pressure for someone so young. Let her have her fun.” Trisha exclaimed, then slowly looking sad. “She won’t have it for much longer.”

For some reason, Lilith felt that remark to be a bit more personal than she thought. She trained her whole life to join the Emperor’s Coven and now, to climb to the very top of it too. She had put so much work to reach this point while Luz was simply born in it. It was her birthright.

Lilith wasn’t jealous. Far from it. But she realized that while she could leave anytime she wanted, Luz couldn’t. She would always be the daughter of Emperor Belos and princess of the Boiling Isles, whether she wanted to or not.

Just like a curse.

Unconsciously, Lilith gripped her dress tightly.

Back at the playground, Boscha called out from the sandbox, having done with the slide. Oh-so little Luz was sitting next to her. “Mom! Can I have my bucket?”

Trisha created a small magic circle and from her bag, a toy bucket and trowel flew out and floated towards her daughter. Boscha gleefully grabbed it and began shoving in the sand. “Be careful of any poop! They can melt through your arms!”

“Yeah, mom…”

Snapped out of her thoughts, Lilith loosened her grip. There was some truth in her words but she couldn’t accept all of it. As unfortunate as it may sound, Luz was still the princess. At the very least, she deserved the best protection and education the Emperor’s Coven could offer.

“I understand what you’re trying to say. I disagree with it but I understand.” Lilith exclaimed, appreciative of hearing that. “I… will try not to burden her.”

“Well, that’s fine. Just remember; witches are a lot more complicated than potions. Hoh, Lord Albert would be fuming if he heard me say that!” Trisha replied with a chuckle. Curiously, she tilted her head. “Say, I never got your name.”

“It’s Lilith.” She answered.

Lilith? Trisha tapped her chin thoughtfully. The name sounded familiar but she just couldn’t place her finger on it. Something about an owl beast? After a few seconds of thinking, she shrugged. Maybe it wasn’t important. "Lilith, huh... I'll remember that."

After several minutes of silently watching — well, Lilith did. Trisha covertly pulled out her book again and placed a newspaper around it — the two little girls finally finished their sandcastle. It wasn’t much to look at since sand didn’t stand up very well but at least they didn’t find any poop.

“Hey, Luz? Why don’t you make that light spell of yours and place it on the tower? It’ll make it look nice.” Boscha suggested.

Luz gasped, followed by a squeal. “Great idea! Let me just…”

The disguised human girl pointed her finger. Without a pause, the pale raven lady scrambled off the bench and leapt straight towards her boss’s kid, screaming in a bloody panic.

Thankfully, no explosions this time, courtesy of a gold hairband.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AWNC NASEFOJROZIRDFWD TROHPTMHOPODN AWNDAWKDAKLNÜPJRGI
> 
> So yeah, Lilith meets Trisha (OC). Btw, Trisha is based on a character seen during Lilith and Eda's flashback. You know, the one everyone speculates to be Boscha's mom because she's pink. So technically she has seen Lilith before but can't remember. It happens. Also, just because you go to the same school, doesn't mean you know everyone.
> 
> Trisha acts more mature than Lilith because that's what happens when you become a parent (most of the time). Both Lilith and Eda are in their 40s in canon, making them in their 30s here (same with Trisha). Most people have kids by then. I'm not saying you need to be a parent to be mature but we can tell neither Lilith nor Eda are anything close to that. They both have a lot of unpacked baggage that caused their growths to stagnate over the years.
> 
> I was going to have Eda be here but decided nah. She already appeared last chapter so I can't have her appear two chapters in a row.


	8. In this house, we support Pepsi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz is curious about what lies underneath Belos's mask. Thus, she employs Kikimora to help her solve this mystery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "You can't write fanfics while in college! You gotta study!"  
> "Hehe, typing goes brrr"
> 
> Have you ever wondered what's under Belos's mask? Of course, you have. You watched the show like everyone else here. But this isn't about what's underneath that horrible beetle face. No, this is exploring why he even has a beetle face. Or you know, just any face in general. Belos in this AU has multiple masks.
> 
> Anyway, trying to get in the mood for studying is not an easy feat and Imma be honest; I am jealous of my friends who can. Also, I'm going to graduate a year late because of the pandemic and that hurts my pride and confidence. But that's a personal problem that I'll have to deal with.

* * *

In traditional family settings, dinner was considered a sacred time where every member of the household came together and enjoyed a meal with a side of conversationing. No phones, no job-related distraction, just awkward people talking about their day in deep silence.

Emperor Belos did not think of himself as traditional. He did, after all, led a bloody revolution and conquered the entirety of the Boiling Isles. He said that a million times already but it didn’t hurt to say it again. However, the concept of eating together with family was foreign to him.

It was a lie to say he wasn’t a little bit interested.

Thus, every night without fail, Belos would eat dinner with Luz instead of all alone. Occasionally, some of the coven heads would join and if permitted, even Lady Kikimora. He would ask her about her day and Luz would babble everything like a flooded dam bursting.

Tonight, however, was very different. Tonight, little Luz was unnervingly quiet, spending time staring at him instead of gobbling up the slow-roasted chupacabra shank on her plate.

Belos felt concerned.

“Um, daughter?” He called, a bowl of soup in front of him. “Is there something of matter?”

“Mmm... How do you eat?”

Belos blinked. “... With my mouth?”

“Yeah, but how do you get food there?”

“With a fork and spoon, ideally.”

Luz stared even harder. There was no anger or displeasure in her stare, just a sense of questionable curiosity. Yet, he still felt it bore through his very being, looking straight into his soul.

Belos cursed silently. He might have to belay teaching her Oracle magic.

“Is that all, Luz?” He asked, the silence being both familiar and unnatural.

In a literal blink of an eye, Luz's expression shifted, revealing the more appealing look of innocence. “Yep!” she said with a pop.

Underneath his mask, Belos raised an eyebrow. He was used to his fair share of weirdness but that was new. Was this a human thing? He really wished there was a human expert or something.

Despite her assurance, the little girl continued to stare at her father, this time with a smile. Occasionally she’d blink as normal people do but it didn’t stop her.

Huh, Luz had brown eyes. Belos never noticed that. It’s the exact same shade as her mother's.

With a spoon in hand, Belos grabbed a bit of his soup and leaned in to taste. Luz leaned in closer, more attentive than ever. Just as the spoon reached closer and closer to his mask, the kitchen door suddenly opened, startling the girl.

“I have brought drinks, my liege.” Kikimora said, carrying a tray of tea and wearing a frilly pink apron over her uniform.

The apron had a cute white anime cat drawing. It was so out of place compared to Kikimora’s more serious demeanour that it took the poor girl’s eyes away from Belos for several seconds. Realising this, Luz quickly turned back to her father, only to find his bowl completely empty.

“Ah, what a wonderful dish. My compliments to the chef.” Belos said praisefully, patting his mask with a napkin. “Thank you for the tea, Kikimora, but why are you wearing that apron?”

“I was in the kitchen, my liege. It is imperative that I wear an apron to keep my clothes from being dirtied.” The small demon explained, placing the glasses and jug onto the table.

Belos nodded. “Ah, understandable. You may leave then.”

After a small polite bow, Kikimora left the room, still wearing her baby apron. Luz pouted, having lost her chance. She continued to eat her dinner, unaware of her father noticing her unhappy mood.

* * *

“Miss Kiki?”

“Yes, Princess Luz?”

The very next day, Luz stood in her room, putting on her clothes for the day. After the destruction of the emperor’s tower, Emperor Belos had commissioned a new tower to be built, one with two bedrooms instead of one. Luz's room was located across of Belos's, a hallway separating the two. It wouldn’t make sense for hers to be placed away from his, especially since she counted as a national secret.

The selection of clothes they bought from the Owl Lady wasn’t much but it was enough for now. There were sufficient clothes that worked as daily wear, including the party costumes. Anything else was thrown out.

Luz, however, was adamant about keeping the tutu. Kikimora thought it was horrendous but Belos allowed it. Unbeknownst to the human girl, Kikimora had bought herself that apron from the same shop.

“Have you ever seen dad's face before?” Luz asked, pulling her head through a yellow shirt.

“Why do you wish to know?” Kikimora asked. She picked the princess’s clothes since Luz would definitely have chosen some otter overalls or something.

“He always wears a mask and I never see him take it off. Maybe you’ve seen this before.” She answered.

Kikimora puffed her chest in pride, a faint blush on her cheeks. “Of course I’ve seen it before. I’ve been with his Emperor for over 3 decades, 5 times your age. I know almost everything about him.”

Luz grinned with glee. “Really?! What does he look like?!”

“Well, he looks—!” Kikimora said, lifting a finger. She aided and followed Emperor Belos for her entire life, seen him every single day without fail. Nothing about him was out of her grasp. Nothing.

She searched through her mind, through the countless years of memories, for even a single glance of his true face and found... nothing.

Kikimora found nothing. She had never actually seen Belos's face before.

Immediately, her form deflated. Her finger flopped pathetically and her back hunched down in shame. “I-I... I s-should... No, that’s i-impossible...”

“Uh, Miss Kiki? Are you okay?” Luz asked, worried.

Kikimora fell on her knees, shocked and traumatized. How did she not know? How could she had never seen his face before? After so many years, how was this possible?

“M-Miss Kiki?”

She was his most trusted advisor, his right-hand witch. All of his secrets, all of his truths, she should’ve known. But then again, she didn’t know anything about Belos going to the human world, let alone having a beloved. That made three things!

This can’t be real...

“Miss Kiki? You’re scaring me...”

Little Luz poked Kikimora's arm, looking for a response. Unfortunately, there was none as Kikimora's thousand-mile stare left her too preoccupied to reply.

And so, team Daughter-and-Not-Daughter was founded, also known as DAND or Team Dandy. All because of a face.

* * *

“So you’re saying that you almost saw his face but I interrupted?” Kikimora asked, finally out of her stupor. It took the little Luz 10 minutes of frantic shaking to finally snap the demon out of it.

Luz nodded. “Yep! I thought I’d see it when he eats his soup.” She said, twiddling her fingers.

Kikimora hummed understandingly. “Hmm yes, Emperor Belos has always been a fast eater. Such tactics wouldn’t work against him.”

“So, what do we do?”

“We will do _nothing._ ” Kikimora hissed. “As curious as I am regarding his appearance, there must be a reason he kept it hidden.”

Luz pouted. No child, especially one as bombastic as her, liked to be told no. Someday in the future, she would curb this behaviour but until then, this was just how it was. “B-but I wanna knoooowww!”

“Why don’t you simply ask him?”

“Why don’t you?”

Kikimora blinked. “… Fair point. Unfortunately for you, I am loyal to Emperor Belos first, you second. I will not do anything to harm him.”

Luz needed Kikimora to help her. She was just a 6-year-old child with 6-year-old capabilities. She couldn’t even use magic that well. But then like magic, Luz had a brilliant idea. She crossed her arms behind her, as well as her feet, and looked sideways, seemingly bored.

“Okay, you don’t have to do anything. But I’m still going to do something and if I get hurt, then it’s your fault because you’re supposed to watch over me.” Luz said out loud, making sure Kikimora could hear her.

The red demoness did and glared at the child. “… I can see what you’re trying to do here, getting me uninvolved and yet responsible for your safety and well-being. Since you are a child, you naturally attract danger and thus, my decision to be negligent would then bite me back.”

Momentarily, Luz went cross-eyed, struggling to process all those words. While waiting for a reply, Kikimora sighed. Eventually, the funky little girl did form a reply. “I don’t know what you said but does that mean you’ll help?”

“Sadly so…”

“Yay!”

Thus, they began their planning stage. It was pretty standard even with magic involved. Kikimora brought in some charts and graphs, and a slideshow, explaining Belos's routine down to the exact minute. Luz didn’t get any of the numbers but she nodded understandingly and later, showed off a drawing she made of Kikimora.

Kikimora taped it to one of the slides, labelled 'Distraction Examples'.

In the end, they figured out their plan. It was simple but brilliant. They were sure Emperor Belos would not see it coming.

* * *

Sometime later, the impeccable Emperor Belos was doing his usual thing — walking around the coven for no particular reason. It was odd how silent it has been throughout the day. One would think that being the execution grounds of wild witches would make the place livelier. Then again, he did make executions a public holiday.

Kids loved watching heads being chopped off. He got the idea after seeing children beat a hanged colourful donkey till its guts fell out. It was odd how the guts were candy but he didn’t judge. Beasts in the human realm were weird.

As he arrived at his throne room, he sat on his special chair and took a deep breath. The throne room was always quiet ever since he installed those soundproof walls. There’s only so much joy he could gain from the screams of tortured criminals. After a while, it just turned stale.

“My liege,” Kikimora greeted, walking through the front door. “I have arrived and I bear gifts.”

Belos raised a brow. “Gifts? From whom, and of what occasion?”

“From your daughter, my liege. She thought you might appreciate it.” Kikimora answered. She then drew a magic circle, forming a small circle. From it, a single corked bottle of a dark concoction fell through, floating via levitation.

“Is that a potion?” Belos asked.

He was an expert in potions, as expected of the emperor, but he was unfamiliar with this one. He could probably guess only through colour and smell but the imagination of a child was limitless. Who would know?

“Yes, a potion of her design. It’s a basic one; it simply tastes like grape.”

“So it’s grape juice.”

“No, sire. It is a potion with the effect of tasting like grape.”

“So is it not made of grapes?”

“It is mostly made of grapes.”

Belos looked down, handling what he just heard. While a great emperor must always be vigilant and avoid accepting gifts as they could be booby-trapped, this was created by little Luz. There’s no way she'd put poison or acid in it. She’s far too innocent.

“Hm, that is acceptable then.” Belos said. Without another word, Kikimora handed over the bottle whom Belos then uncorked.

_FIZZZ!!!_

Instantly once opened, the potion exploded out, splashing his grace with a face-full of possibly grape juice. The potion, combined with the various sugars, created a sticky liquid that immediately latched onto his clothing. From top to bottom, Belos was covered with an indescribable uncomfortable mess.

Turning towards his assistant, he noticed Kikimora, while slightly cringing, was mostly unfazed. At the same time nearby, he heard a few stifled a laugh, only to stop when he glanced at them.

Belos sighed. This was planned.

“Oh Titan, it seems the potion was slightly carbonated! You should head back to your quarters to change, my liege.” Kikimora advised, faking a surprised tone.

“... Indeed, I should. Excuse me, Kikimora.”

After a small bow from Kikimora, Belos headed straight to his room, already planning the minor punishment he’d enact on her.

What Kikimora did was risky; had it been anyone else, he would’ve violently crushed them into a pea. In fact, he would’ve reprimanded her anyway, just not to the point of pea-crushing. However, she did so with explicit support from Luz.

That changed things.

* * *

Upon entering his room, Belos immediately scanned the surroundings. There were two possibilities: either traps were set up or Luz was hiding somewhere. Kikimora’s actions were only to lure him to his private quarters.

It did not take long.

“Hehehe!” Luz giggled, hiding behind the curtains.

Belos contemplated for a moment. Only a moment though, as he then snapped his fingers, causing a breeze to blow the curtains open and revealing the girl underneath.

“Uh...” Little Luz stammered, shocked that her ingenious hiding place had been discovered.

Belos walked towards his daughter, still covered in the sticky sugary drink. _“Oh, hello, my daughter. What brings you to my room on this fine morning?”_

Throughout his many years of cruel interrogations, Emperor Belos learned there were two types of people: those that blurted out when caught red-handed and those who held their lips tighter than the jaws of a dragon. The former were nothing but cowards and he took no care in flailing their skin off their bones. The latter, on the other hand, he respected and either recruited them once broken or provided a painless execution.

He was proud that Luz was the latter.

Luz clamped her mouth shut, covering them with her hands. She knew that if she said anything, it would link back to Miss Kikimora who, in her eyes, was her sidekick. Luz would never betray her sidekick!

Belos leaned lower. “I know you got Kikimora involved somehow, so do be a dear and explain yourself.”

Luz gasped. Was she discovered already?!

“Hnng...!” Luz grumbled and whined. She was strong-willed at least. Not sure if she got that from him or her mother.

“Come now, daughter. What is it that you want to the point of spraying me with grape soda?” Belos hissed.

However, instead of a verbal response, Luz suddenly lifted her right hand, each finger clenched except for a small one. Belos raised a brow, confused. “... What’s this?”

“It’s called a pinkie promise! You have to promise that you won’t get mad at Miss Kiki!” Luz bargained, despite having nothing to offer.

Belos blinked, surprised at what he heard. “... Luz, I’m not mad at Kikimora. I just want to know why you had her do all of this.”

The human girl lowered her arm and looked away. Her fingers fiddled behind her and her legs rubbed onto each other awkwardly. “I w-wanted to see your face. You know, without the mask.”

“... Oh.” Belos exclaimed, speechless. He then coughed in his hand, clearing his throat. “W-well, that is a, uh, bit personal.”

Luz looked dumbfounded. “Why? I’ve never seen you take it off before. Is it because you’re ugly?”

“I think I’m rather dashing. After all, I did woo your mother—”

“Eww...”

“—but that’s not the reason.”

Using just a little bit of magic, Belos summoned a few puppets of light, dancing in the air. It was the same illusion magic Lilith used to explain the basic history of the Boiling Isles to Luz, albeit a deep crimson in colour. Plus, his puppets were far more detailed. Life-like, even.

“There was once a lazy farmboy, ignorant of the world around him. Every day, he’d go out to town to play and after that, he’d sleep under a boring oak tree. It wasn’t a grandiose life but he was content.”

“What happened to him?” Luz asked.

 _“He died.”_ Belos answered bluntly. “Killed by wild witches that raided his farm, all because he didn’t want to pay in their threats.”

Luz looked horrified. And yet, he continued the story, else she’d have only half the tale.

“But before he died, he heard a whisper in the air and underneath his body. It told him of the truth and from there, he was reborn like a phoenix!”

Luz began clapping happily. “Yay! He lived!”

“Indeed, he did. But he could never return to that life, not after what he’d seen and heard. The world believed he was dead. And so, he threw away his face and replaced it with a new one.”

Unconsciously, Belos touched the side of his mask, his fingers running on its edge. There was a sadness in his eyes, pain and grief over what was abandoned. _“All in the form of a wooden mask.”_

Luz stared at her father, slowly understanding what the story was. Guilt grew in her heart, causing her to look downwards in shame. Quickly realising this, Belos kneeled down to her height and unpromptedly rubbed her hair. Luz giggled, feeling ticklish.

“My apologies. I didn’t mean for it to turn sombre.” He exclaimed, putting his hand away.

Luz nodded and smiled softly. “It’s okay. I’m sorry I wanted to take off your mask. It’s important to you.”

“... Such kind words. A rare trait on the Boiling Isles.” Belos said with a grateful tone. He then grabbed the little girl from underneath her arms and lifted her up, placing her small body onto his broad shoulder. “Come, let’s go have some ice-cream. A reward for your honesty.”

“What about the grape soda?” Luz asked. She even felt the stickiness from her butt.

Belos cheekily smiled and through the magic at the tip of his finger, all the grape soda evaporated instantly along with its sticky sugary components. He was as fresh as a pair of newly washed clothes, though lacking the familiar smell.

“What grape soda?” He asked back before poking Luz in the stomach and having her giggle.

Belos and in essence, Luz, walked out of the room. He made sure her head didn’t hit the door frame on the way out. Though, the door itself was half above his height. “Someday, that farmboy might show his face to you. Once he has the courage for it, that is.”

“I want it to be on my birthday! Not this year though.” She said. It was fine if she didn’t see it now or sometime close in the future. She could wait for a bit.

She also wanted her mom to be there when it happened. It was only fair that the whole family was there. Until then, she’ll wait for however long that might be.

“So... you promise you won’t get mad at Miss Kiki?”

“I’ll think about it.”

He did for a moment. Just a moment. In the end, he made sure that the demoness still got punished somewhat. Nothing cruel, especially due to her years of undying loyalty. No, she’d just stand on a balcony with buckets of water in each hand for the next several hours.

Alas, poor Kikimora.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you know, I go through several changes when I write chapters. For this one, here are a few: 1. Kikimora was supposed to be the one that convinced Luz to do this, 2. Belos was originally going to show his face to Luz (but not Kikimora), 3. I was going to have both of them spy Belos in the shower, and 4. Lilith was going to be involved. In the end, these were scrapped for reasons known only to myself.
> 
> So this chapter is just some Luz&Belos stuff with a bit of Belos lore. It's not much but it's honest work. Now I'm gonna go break a leg or something. Not mine, hopefully.


	9. Bohemian Rhapsody

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lord Bartholomew of the Bard Coven is old. Maybe it's time to retire. Also, Little Luz has an ocarina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an author's note. Fill it with author note things. Ding diding didididididing~!
> 
> It hasn't been that long since I uploaded a chapter. I did like two chapters for "Sasha and the Frogs" and it was a blast. But I've been busy with college and as usual, education stresses me out. When I get a job, I bet it'll be a whole lot easier than college.
> 
> So yeah, this chapter is about the Bard Coven leader, Bartholomew. Can I just say that Bard magic is the one that I'm interested the most, simply because I have no idea what it does? Well, this is my interpretation of it. And yeah, Bart is the oldest of the group. Age will be listed at the endnotes. Cheerios!

__

* * *

_Almost 50 years ago, in the outskirts of Bonesborough…_

_From the dark forests that border the town, several hooded figures hid behind the bushes, whispering quietly amongst themselves. One, in particular, was a lanky-bodied man with a snivelling face only a mother would love. He was Toucan, a cowardly small-time bandit with a relatively big posse._

_Toucan had big dreams. He was tired of being pushed around and for once in his life, wanted to push around others. It was easy, really. Towns often had their own law enforcement but the small ones were pathetic compared to the big cities. After stealing a powerful wand from a deceased lord, he made his name by terrorizing these rural areas._

_But it wasn’t enough. He was still just a small-fry and was afraid of the truly dangerous witches. He couldn’t hope of challenging them in any way. His wand wasn’t strong enough and thus, he needed more._

_“There it is! Hexside School of Magic and Demonics! I heard it is home to some of the most powerful relics in all of the Demon Realm.” Toucan exclaimed, a toothy yet sadistic grin stretched across his face._

_His minion, a small and pudgy demon that looked more like an overweight child with a name he never bothered to remember, turned to him nervously. “Wait, we’re not going to actually attack a magic school, right? It’s, like, full of witches and crazy dangerous!”_

_Toucan laughed mockingly. “Oh, please! It’s just a bunch of dumb kids! Once we take control of the school, we can use the relics to take over the city.”_

_“Hoh! That’s so smart, boss!”_

_Prideful, Toucan’s chest puffed up. “That’s why I’m the boss. Now get ready! We’ll attack at sundown.”_

_“Is that so? I’ll have to make sure the defences are up then.”_

_Upon hearing an unfamiliar voice, Toucan jumped out and away from the bush. He pulled out a small wooden wand from his belt and pointed into the dark forest, primed and ready. From the shadows, a short, middle-aged and bespectacled man appeared. He had a pair of sharps horns and a cute dog-like face._

_He was also carrying a unique golden harp, shaped like a musical note._

_Seeing the instrument, Toucan quickly realized who it was; the current principal of Hexside. “Y-You’re Bartholomew! How did you know we were here?!”_

_The young-ish Bart — short for Bartholomew — chuckled. “I simply listened. Is it not obvious?”_

_Flinging his wand, Toucan drew a magic circle and shot out a powerful fireball made of hellish purple flames. The fireball, as if alive, roared across the field, its demonic flames consuming anything it touches with a deathly curse._

RRRROOOOAARRR!!!

_This was Toucan’s ultimate spell. Or more precisely, the wand’s. Such powerful and destructive capabilities made him almost untouchable. Along with his unstable behaviour, he was feared in the boonies. Any that challenged was immediately burned to ash and those scared for their lives began working for him._

_Yet, Bart was unfazed. With just a finger, he plucked three strings on his harp in succession, causing it to glow. Just as the flames were about to swallow him with its ethereal jaws, a magical shield appeared around him, causing the fireball to disperse upon contact._

_So much for the ultimate spell._

_“Using a wand that doesn’t belong to you…” Bart said darkly. “How shameless.”_

_His teeth clattering and legs shaking, Toucan nervously stepped back and barked at his underlings. “K-kill him! KILL HIM NOW!”_

_Suddenly, the other hooded figures jumped into the fray and charged at the diminutive man. Calmly, Bart played a melody and his harp glowed magically once more. One by one, the attackers became drowsy and eventually, fell asleep._

_Not all, however. One, in particular, was able to get close enough and attempted to stab him with a dagger. Unfortunately, it was proved futile. The shield from before protected Bart and the dagger, upon hitting, bent sideways. The underling stared in shock at his deformed dagger and before he could react, Bart played a single chord, bursting his shield and sending the attacker flying into the woods._

_“S-s-sh-shit!” Toucan blurted. He readied another spell — the same fireball spell he used earlier — but his opponent was quicker._

_Noticing what Toucan was about to do, Bartholomew quickly strung all the chords on his harp, flinging magic at the bandit. The ground rippled and rolled, physically turning to liquid while appearing the same._

_Before he knew it, Toucan sunk into the dirt like stone, accidentally dropping his wand aside. “AH!”_

_The ground hardened after, leaving him trapped waist-deep. Seeing him harmless, Bartholomew walked up to him and leaned forward._

_“Now then, I am not a fan of shedding blood, so you will leave quietly and never come back. Do you understand?” The bespectacled man said._

_Meanwhile, the nameless pudgy minion stood nearby, watching it all unfold. His boss's entire force was singlehandedly defeated by the principal of Hexside and he wasn’t even serious about it. Before he could run, however, the wand conveniently fell to his feet and more importantly, away from Toucan._

_The minion never liked Toucan. He only followed him because Toucan was the strongest and being nearby guaranteed his safety. But now, the cowardly bandit lost and his weapon was in his grasp._

_The pudgy demon smiled maliciously. Grabbing the wand, he immediately formed a magic circle and aimed at the two witches. “Goodbye, boss.”_

RRRROOOOAARRR!!!

_“W-what?!” Bartholomew voiced in shock, turning to the roar. He quickly pulled out his harp to form a magic shield but it was too late. The fireball, several times his size, was ready to consume its target._

_And it almost did, had not a small black orb appear between them. Like a vacuum, the orb sucked up the flames with incredible pressure. Even the principal was struggling to stay on the ground. Within a few seconds, all the flames were extinguished and the black orb sucked itself, vanishing from existence._

_“I apologize for intruding but it seemed as if you needed some assistance.” A new figure said, emerging from the roadside. He wore torn clothes, an old cape and a simple wooden mask that hid his face._

_Bartholomew glared to the masked man. He felt something odd about him, something that caused the hairs on his back to stand. “You’re dangerous.”_

_The masked man tilted his head. “Really? I wouldn’t have guessed. I am Alexander E. Belos. A pleasure to be of acquaintance.”_

* * *

Back in the present, on a cliffside watching over Bonesborough...

Lord Bartholomew of the Bard Coven stood by the cliff’s edge. The sun had risen completely and the day was just beginning. Everyone was getting ready to work, learn or play. Stores and stalls opened up shop, their signs glistening under the sunlight. Even at this distance, he could smell the freshly baked bread.

“Ah, Belos. You’ve finally arrived.” Bartholomew said with a smile. Even after so many years, he didn’t look much different from his younger self, barring the wrinkles on his face. No matter the time, he still held an image of modesty.

The highly-esteemed Emperor Belos nodded in his usual royal garb. “I apologize for the delay. I have been busy with other matters.”

“Your daughter, I take it?” Bart asked in a friendly tone.

“She has taken an interest in musical instruments. I had one of my coven members teach her a few basics, just to get an understanding of it. It will be good practice for when she’ll train in Bard magic.”

Bartholomew laughed. “Huhuhu, you really do plan on teaching her everything, don’t you?”

“I must. After all, she is my flesh and blood. I will not accept anything less.” Belos replied.

“Good, good. Providing her with opportunities that most could only dream of is a trait of a parent.”

The two stared off into the distance, watching the townsfolk below continue on with their daily lives. It was unthinkable to think that back then, being able to wake up and not be afraid of the dark was an uncommon sight. Such a peaceful view was only possible in the schools back then and even then, it was risky.

Now, everyone looked so happy and secure.

“Belos, our time is almost at an end. We had a good run but…” Bartholomew lifted his hand — it was shaking. “Well, I’m just not as spry as I used to be.”

For a moment, Belos said nothing. “… I understand. And what of the Bard Coven?”

Bart smiled “Not to worry. I’ve already selected my successor and the advisors. They’ll do just fine.”

“And… what of you?”

While Belos did care about the stability of the covens, the true pillars of his society were the heads. Any replacement would have big shoes to fill. Thus, concern for his co-worker — his friend — was justified.

Bart looked up, staring at the slowly disappearing stars. “Do you remember that promise you made to me?”

Belos nodded. “Of course. You wanted me to watch over the schools.”

“Hmph, well, can you still keep it? Even when I leave?”

He answered immediately. “I plan on it.”

Bart’s smile faded, just slightly so. There was sadness in his eyes, not from Belos’s answer but from his own question. Yet, his smile stayed strong as much as he could.

“Thank you, Belos. You truly are a dear friend.”

* * *

Throughout her time on the Boiling Isles, Luz Noceda-Belos (or Luz Belos-Noceda) has been training. To be fair, when you have the magical capabilities equivalent to a nuclear bomb, you should definitely practise and fine-tune your magecraft whenever possible.

However, not all magic involved throwing fireballs or causing earthquakes. Most magic was non-offensive and amongst them were spells that required a medium. For example, Bard magic. The Bard Coven, one of the Nine Main Coven, might seem out of place. For what was the use of music in a realm of magic?

The thing is; Bard magic was extremely versatile. It had the one property no other magic had – it could control the flow of the environment. A few plucks of string or blasts of horn and you could pull the very ground from underneath your opponent’s feet. Or maybe create a shield, hypnotize enemies, turn rocks to puddle, etc. For such a flexible form of magic, why was it not more commonly used?

Because it’s finicky and stupid and emotional and annoying. That’s what Lilith thought.

Within the confines of Luz’s room, Lilith Clawthorne looked traumatized. Split hairs and wrinkled skin — she looked like she had aged a decade within a minute. In front of her was the eponymous Luz, looking quite smug with an ocarina, a type of seashell-looking wind instrument.

Lilith nervously fixed her hair. “W-wonderful, Princess Luz! Your skills with the ocarina are truly… shocking…”

“Really?!” Luz asked with proud eyes.

Lilith paused. “… Yes.”

Just then, a loud bell rang, signalling the return of their glorious emperor and Luz’s biological father. Lilith gave out a sigh of relief as if she was finally free from torment.

“Ah, it seems the emperor has finally returned. Now go along. You probably want to greet your father.” She said, pulling the bedroom door open.

Luz giddily nodded. “I’mma show him my blowing skills!”

“NO!” Lilith shouted, uncharacteristically of her. Realising her harsh behaviour, she quickly straightened herself. “I-I mean, you shouldn’t _yet!_ Yes, that’s it! Maybe you should practice a bit more. That way you can really blow his socks off!”

Luz looked at her, confused. “I don’t want to blow his socks. Socks smell.”

“I-It’s, hah… a figure of speech.” She sighed. It was odd how teaching a child was harder than cursing people. Maybe her talent lied elsewhere. “L-let’s just go...”

Done with today’s lesson, the two head off to the throne room. Lilith wished to report today’s class to her superior while Luz was there to greet her father. It was, after all, important for parents to be involved in their children’s growth. Especially in their younger years when they’re still malleable and aloof.

Once arrived, Lilith bowed courteously as her leader sat on his rightful throne. “Greetings, oh great Emperor Belos.” She hailed, title and all.

Beside her, Luz bowed as well, having gone to a few etiquette lessons. According to Lilith and Kikimora, it was polite to bow to Emperor Belos since he was the supreme and ultimate leader of the realm. What they forgot to realize was that rule actually only applied to them. Little Luz did not need to bow to her own father outside of public events.

Belos raised a brow at that. He might need to have a closer look at the lessons after all.

“As requested, I have attempted teaching Luz the basics of Bard magic and I can safely say it…” Lilith paused, hesitant and unsure of what words to say. “… It is progress.”

That’s just a codeword for ‘It’s horrible, please don’t kill me’. He recognized it anywhere since he was the one that coined it. Although, he wouldn’t harm her or anything for something like this. He wasn’t completely unreasonable.

“That is acceptable,” Belos suddenly paused, trying to remember her name. “... Lilith. It will take her several years to truly be at the level of intermediate players. For now, it is to cultivate an _interest_ over it.”

Lilith perked up and smiled, understanding what he meant. “Ah, of course! How wise of you, my liege. My apologies for such illogical expectations.”

“… It is fine. You are dismissed for the day.”

And with that, Lilith took her exit. While she did have the exclusive duty of being the emperor’s daughter’s assistant teacher, she had other responsibilities that needed to be taken care off. If she failed those, then her good graces with the emperor would be for nought. And there was no way she was going to let the other potential coven head candidates one-up her while she was busy.

If they dared, curses would fly.

Nevertheless, her departure left the two most powerful people alone. Belos, who was trying to be a good father, attempted some small talk.

“Luz, you look well.” He said, a small tone of concern.

On the other hand, Luz nodded happily. “Hm! Miss Lilith gave me a bunch of cool instruments like cheese drums and the otamatamatone!”

“Ah, sounds delightful.” He replied. Traditional Boiling Isles instruments. Lilith chose well.

“It was super fun! Miss Lilith also said I was shocking! That means I’m super-duper good!” Luz exclaimed, retelling her day.

“Is that so? Her praises must not be false, then.”

“Yep! She’s really honest like that.”

Belos, knowing the witch’s history with her sister, cringed. “… Yes, that probably it.”

Daily task on being a good dad: ask your child how their day was going. Check. He would go on to do the rest but his mind was elsewhere, preoccupied with a personal issue.

Luz might not have known her father for very long but she could tell from his slumped shoulders and disinterested tone that there was something off today. Concerned, she proceeded to push.

“Are you okay? You look really sad.” Luz asked with care.

Belos lazily waved a hand. “Oh, it’s nothing. A friend will be leaving soon and I won’t be seeing him that often anymore.”

She looked at him, confused. “Why not just visit?”

“I’m a very busy ruler. I cannot simply visit someone without notice.”

“Why not?”

“Because I have responsibilities. That’s what it means to be a ruler.”

Luz whined. “Hnng, that sounds sucky.”

Hearing that, Belos chuckled slightly. “Hehe, I guess you could say it is quite… sucky.” He said, amused. “Though someday, you’ll take over my position and become the Empress of the Boiling Isles.”

Luz frowned, disgusted. “Bleghh, that’s so boring!”

She preferred staying as a princess, thank you very much. Princesses get to sing all day and have forest creatures help them with chores. She didn’t know what an empress did but she bet it was no fun. Plus, ‘Empress Luz’ sounded evil like a disaster waiting to happen.

“I assure you, it’s quite interesting.” He replied, lying just a little. Being an emperor wasn’t always fun but there were moments where interesting political discourse occurred.

Were they worth it? Well, no. Paperwork sucked no matter what reality it’s from but the discourse at least made it bearable.

“Now run along. I have other matters to attend to, mostly in the form of paperwork.” Belos said, shooing her off. “That is, by the way, another thing you’ll have to do as Empress.”

Luz didn’t know what paperwork was but she didn’t like the sound of that.

* * *

If there was one thing Bart enjoyed doing, it would be smelling the flowers. The Emperor’s Coven, though situated in an inhospitable part of the Titan’s body, had a very nice garden. It was a little project Belos enacted as proof that he could make something beautiful grow in a place where Death slept.

It was a small garden, full of flowers, bushes, trees and strategically placed rocks, and was taken care of entirely by shades and abominations but it worked. Belos’s private garden was a marvel, even though it didn’t look that impressive.

He wanted to see the place one last time.

Watching a bomber-bee float around, Bart pulled out a harp and breathed in. He listened to the melody of nature, tuning himself like a musician tuning their instrument. As he lifted a finger for the first strum, a painful high-pitched cry broke his concentration.

“What is that wretched noise?!” He complained. Following the horrible wail of a dying goose, he looked around a bush and there on a bench was s familiar face.

“Miss Luz?” He called in surprise.

Startled, the 6-year-old girl turned to him and waved. “Oh, hiya Mr, uh… Barto-, Bratho-, eh, Barthelomo…?” She stammered for a moment. “Bartholomew!”

“Huhu, you can just call me Bart.” He permitted, smiling.

This was probably the first time they ever truly spoke to one another. Even though it’s been over a month, he’s still surprised that Belos actually had a romantic partner, let alone a child of his own. The emperor was so secretive and asocial that any notion of him being open was ludicrous.

Yet, the proof against that stood before him. The world sure had no shortage of miracles.

Looking around, he noticed a small oblong-shaped object in her hands. “Hm? What’s that you have there?”

Luz lifted her instrument to show. “This? Miss Lilith says it’s called an ocarina. It’s like a flute but round!”

“An ocarina? My, it’s been a while since I’ve seen someone play it. You know, there’s actually a legend behind it.” He exclaimed before clearing his throat.

“It’s said that in a faraway land, a fair princess was once threatened by the whims of an evil king. In response, she used an ocarina to send her most-trusted knight into the future in order to find the evil king’s weakness. With knowledge from the future, the knight and the princess banished the evil king into a realm of twilight.”

Luz stared at him in awe. “Wow! That sounds really cool! What’s the story called?”

“Fire Emblem, or something like that.” He dismissively replied. History was never his best skill. “Still, I’m surprised you actually play it.”

“Yep and Miss Lilith says I’m pretty good at it! Watch!”

Luz began blowing into the ocarina, allowing the instrument’s odd shape to make sound. With her fingers, she controlled the notes that came out, using the little knowledge she had regarding music theory. However, being a child that she was, sounding good was never a priority. She just wanted to play it.

Which was why what came out was equivalent to a brutal car wreck in an express highway. Bart tried his best to not flinch but he could feel his sweat sliding off his forehead. His glasses cracked under the pressure.

After a minute or so of playing, Luz looking absolutely flushed, having given her all in that performance. She smiled, proud of herself. “What do you think?”

“In my professional opinion,” He started, raising a finger. “You suck.” He stated bluntly, shocking the poor girl.

Nonetheless, a smile appeared on his face, honest and hopeful. “But that’s normal. You’re still young and it takes time to learn. Your father wasn’t very good at playing music either.”

“Really?” Luz said, surprised.

Bart nodded. “Yep. He also didn’t want to take off his mask so playing wind instruments was almost impossible.”

Out of all the forms of magic, Bard magic was the hardest for Emperor Belos. Potions were simply chemistry with magecraft while Construction was just a bunch of sigils. There was structure with obvious boundary conditions and rules. Bard magic, on the other hand, was subjective.

Bard magic was creative and playful. It did not adhere to common rules or etiquettes; it simply did what it wanted. Pure chaos in the form of music, reined in through the use of musical instruments. Learning how to play was easy when you had a music sheet. For Bard magic, the world was the sheet.

Belos was all about rules. He liked having structure and liked having laws. It’s one of the reasons why he conquered the wild Boiling Isles, to begin with. Bard magic was his antithesis and while he was a master of it now, it took a lot of bloody knuckles and broken bones.

“Mr Bart? Can you show me some music?” Luz asked.

“Hmm, why so?” He asked in return.

“Dad looked really sad today. He said something about his friend leaving and I want to cheer him up!”

Belos looked sad? One would think that his mask would hide his expressions better but Luz was his daughter. You can’t hide from that.

Bart rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well… I do have one particular song he might enjoy but it’s a bit complicated for you.”

“Then teach me.”

An unhesitant reply without pause or nervousness. Was this willingness brave or foolish? Bart glared, waiting for more.

“You said that I’m young so I’m not good yet. But I won’t stay young forever, so teach me. That way, I get to be good.” She stated as if it was obvious.

It should be and yet, it left him amazed. Not only did she not hesitate to reply but she also had an explanation ready. Her thirst for knowledge rivalled that of Belos but there was a certain innocence in her eyes. She wanted to learn but not for herself nor was it for the sake of learning.

His smile softened.

“If that’s the case…”

* * *

Meanwhile in his office, several hours later, Belos cursed.

For the record, Belos did not spend his time in his throne room, looking down on peasants and smiting them with otherworldly spells. The throne room was for parties and events, and occasionally he’d publicly judge criminals there as well. Most of the time, however, the room was empty. Though, one member with a broom was always there, sweeping and cleaning.

Instead, he’d spend his time in his office which was far smaller than the throne room and much more normal. It did have a great view if you could call looking empty plains of hell as ‘great’.

“Who wrote all of this? Such horrendous grammar and writing. I’ll have their head on a pike for this.” He scowled, snapping his pen in rage. The Emperor’s Coven was supposed to be the best of the best. How could a witch join if they could barely write a formal letter?

Maybe he should include numerology and linguistics into the requirements. One should at least know basic math and language to join.

Belos sighed, massaging his head. No, something as pitiful of this shouldn’t have gotten him mad. He thought that he was at peace with his friend’s departure and yet, his trembling hands said otherwise. Belos began reminiscing of the past, back during a simpler time when paperwork didn’t exist and he simply killed those that crossed him without a thought.

Nowadays, all his work involved signing and reviewing documents and he couldn’t just kill witches just for looking at him funny. Nope! They needed to go through a public court hearing. Not that it mattered when he decided the outcome on a whim but it was easier to just zap them into ash or turn them to stone.

Too preoccupied with his thoughts, he didn’t notice that the office door opened, revealing the young Luz, still with her ocarina.

“Daughter, I am somewhat busy at the moment. Can you come later?” He requested, feeling annoyed at everything at the moment.

“I want to perform!”

“… What?”

Luz didn’t bother to answer and immediately began playing. Her ocarina shrieked like a dead woman and as he was about to tell her to stop and do it later, he instead found himself compelled to listen. Her notes were awkward and uneven but he knew this tune anywhere. With hazy sight, he closed his eyes as if lulled to sleep.

A familiar melody, one from many years ago.

_“He’s not coming, Belos!” Weiss, former executioner shouted._

_During Belos’s journey in becoming the tyrannical emperor known in the present, he had many enemies, very powerful ones at that. Early on, most didn’t take him seriously, seeing him as just a minor threat to deal with early. And while Belos gathered his forces, that was how he kept it._

_But then, he killed a lord. That’s when everything changed._

_With the power vacuum apparent and his rapid rise of influence, he was finally seen as a legitimate threat. The noble houses that controlled the Boiling Isles were not stupid. Realising how dangerous he was, they took the effort to cut him off before he could grow any further._

_In less than two months after that incident, the fort that he took over from the previous lord was under attack with enemies coming from all sides. Belos was powerful but even he could not go against an army. Alongside allies such as Weiss, the proto-Emperor’s Coven took arms to protect themselves._

_While distracted, a cocky witch ran up to Weiss and stabbed the illusionist in the chest, only for him to poof into a cloud of thick smoke. Quickly, the smoke dissipated and to no surprise, Weiss was left unharmed. But the same could not be said about his attacker who was missing their left lung._

_“He will. I am sure of it.” Belos insisted, standing beside him and blocking a few bolts of lightning with a powerful magic shield. The bolts ricocheted off the shield, some flying back towards the casters._

_“Yeah, I bet you’ll be less sure once we’re DEAD!” Weiss yelled. From his blindside, a stray bolt hit Weiss in the arm, searing his flesh. “ARGH, SON OF A TITAN’S WH-!”_

_“Language, Weiss. Or do I need to wash that mouth of yours again?” Gertrude chided, punching the witch that threw that bolt off the castle walls. Immediately, she ran towards him and began healing his injury, her palms glowing with magic._

_“Agh, says you! Your mouth is dirtier than an orc’s pen!” Weiss spat. Frowning, Gertrude squeezed his arm, causing him more pain. “AAHHH!”_

_Belos, however, was unconcerned. Instead, he thought it was the best time to bring up an interesting fact to lighten the mood. “Contrary to popular belief, the pen of an orc is actually quite clean. They are very hygienic and would even decorate their sleeping space with fragrant flowers.”_

_“I DON’T NEED YOUR TRIVIA, BELOS!”_

_With his free arm, Weiss formed a magic circle and flicked it at a few wayward enemies. He then snapped his fingers, causing the circle to explode into a blaze of glory. That bought time for Gertrude to heal him completely._

_“There, done! Don’t say I didn’t do anything!” Gertrude said, the injury now gone. Testing his fingers, he scoffed at the healer pridefully, then took out a curved knife and stabbed the air behind him. Moments later, the air took form, revealing a hidden enemy under a cloaking spell, now bleeding in the head._

_“You know, I followed you because I truly believed in your ‘take over the world’ plan. Looking at it again, I should’ve just murdered you in your sleep.” Weiss hissed, pulling his knife out and letting the body fall._

_The would-be emperor did not reply, instead staring at a hilltop far off and outside the gates. Weiss growled. “Belos, are you even listening?”_

_Belos turned to his company, lifting a finger over his mask. “Hush, Weiss. Our esteemed guest has arrived.”_

_And right there on that same hilltop, Bartholomew appeared. None of the enemy forces had noticed him — exactly as intended. In his hands was not his signature harp. To even Belos’s surprise, it was actually an intricately designed trumpet._

_Bart lifted his trumpet high up and took a deep breath._

_“I’d plug my ears if I were you,” Belos whispered._

_With a single breath, Bart played the most beautiful melody, empowered by magic. Through that melody, he dominated the battlefield, guaranteeing victory for the proto-Emperor’s Coven._

_Singlehandedly, he changed the course of history._

After what felt like an eternity, Belos opened his eyes, finding himself back in the present. His boring paperwork-filled office, the same one he despised so much, was peaceful compared to the bloody violent battlefields decades ago. How long has it been since he last felt such a sense of victory?

Belos stared at his human daughter, her face red from the performance. She looked at him and smiled, all while breathing raggedly.

“D-do you like it?” Luz asked, nervous about the response.

Underneath his mask, Belos smiled. It was genuinely horrible. “It’s beautiful.”

Hearing that, her face brightened despite the red flush from cheek to cheek. Mr Bart was right; the song did lighten his mood. It took her hours to learn but with enough practice, she’d get it right someday.

“If you ever feel sad again, I’ll play this again. That way, you won’t be.” Little Luz offered.

He knew he never needed it again. In fact, he’d probably die if he ever heard it again. Still, what a generous endeavour from a 6-year-old.

“I look forward to it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how do you like it? And yeah, Bartholomew is officially retired. Where will he go? The answer is not important. All you need to know is that he's not dead and travels.
> 
> Anyway, as I told you before, I was always interested in Bard magic since we have no idea what it does. So my interpretation is simple; it shapes the surroundings and does whatever it wants. The shield is less of a shield and more like telling stuff 'no'. Its weakness is that you need to play music for it to work. Also, how you play it and the properties of the instrument can affect the spell itself. This is why it's fickle.
> 
> Is it unbalanced OP BS? Yes. Is it hard to use and super unstable? Also yes. Is Skara now the strongest character? Hmm... :I
> 
> Well regardless of Skara's godly status, remember what I said about ages? Well, I don't like numbers so we're going vague. Starting from oldest to youngest, we got:
> 
> 1\. Bartholomew of Bard Coven  
> 2\. Gerheade of Plant Coven / Bastille of Abomination Coven  
> 3\. Jenkins of Oracle Coven  
> 4\. Durin of Construction Coven  
> 5\. Weiss of Illusion Coven  
> 6\. Gertrude of Healing Coven  
> 7\. Belos of Emperor's Coven / Albert of Potions Coven  
> 8\. Sierra of Beast-Keeping Coven  
> 11\. Kikimora of Emperor's Coven  
> 12\. Lilith of Emperor's Coven
> 
> Yes, Belos is young. Well, not that young but still pretty young.


	10. Can we fix it? No, it's f*cked!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz and Belos visit the Construction Coven to get something fixed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to post this 4 hours ago but I ended up being busy with stuff. I still have like half a report to finish and then compile it for a group work but the deadline is next week so I'm not worried. No, it's the exams next month that scare me.
> 
> Anyway, I realize that a few chapters focus on a specific coven member and kinda explains the basics of each magic. At this point, it'd be weird if I didn't do all of them so yeah, I'mma mix it up. Have my interpretation that's also canon-friendly!

* * *

“Nonono, Luz! Do not bother the craftsman.”

What craftsman, you ask? Just a random one out of the literal hundreds that reside in Barret Town, home of the Construction Coven and a major trading hub for various materials and products, both raw and processed. Located on the Titan’s left arm, Barret Town has existed for over a century and thus, the origin of its name was lost forever. Despite that, the residence looked as if it will never be completed, as buildings were constantly being renovated or demolished in an ever-changing landscape.

Since it was the base of the Construction Coven, that meant all manner of builders, architects and engineers lived here, constantly working day and night to meet the quarterly year quota. The Construction Coven, unlike other covens, weren’t there just to perfect their craft but to also make a lot of money. They were hardworking capitalists with honest backgrounds.

Well, mostly honest. Barret Town was also a den for thieves and bandits, something Belos had always despised. He wanted to station some of his coven members here permanently but the builders never liked law enforcement. Even the Construction Coven was against it. Their history with authority was a bleak one.

“Wow! This place is so cool!” Little Luz, spunky 6-year-old half-human thing said. She almost got trampled by a bunch of gruff and hairy men. “Kinda busy too.”

“It can’t be helped. The Construction Coven manages all manner of infrastructure in the Boiling Isles. Houses, schools and occasionally, tall wizard towers as a joke.” Emperor Belos, the tyrant of the Boiling Isles, explained with a small chuckle.

Luz tilted her head in confusion. “A joke?”

“It’s the stairs.” He replied, stifling his laugh.

He didn't bother to explain it.

After several minutes of walking, the two reached Barret Town’s main office. Do not be fooled by its quaint cobblestone walls built on the side of a small hill, enough for a hobbit, with simple wooden stairs leading to the door; this structure was hand-built by Lord Durin, head of the Construction Coven and master builder. The whole thing was basically indestructible.

“We’ve finally arrived,” Belos announced. He then turned to Luz and pulled out his hand from under the robe. “Daughter, may I have your hairband temporarily? I wish to get it repaired.”

“Sure!” Luz replied. She then took it off her head and placed it in his open palm. The hairband had a little crack on it and was growing every day by literal micrometres.

Belos nodded and shoved his hand back under his robe. “Please wait here a moment. I promise you, it will not take long.” He said before walking away towards the office.

* * *

The inside of the office building was just as quaint as the outside. Cleanly-cut planks of wood lined up on the walls, hiding the cobblestone and other amenities behind it while bright granite tiles made up the floor. There were benches and potted plants in the lobby, along with a ticket machine by the door. The air was cool and comfortable, in contrast with the dust and smog outdoors.

Lord Durin was definitely a master of his craft and had an eye for detail. Everything might seem simple and normal but if you looked closer, you’d realise that every part, from the nails to the splinters, was meticulously crafted by hand with little to no error. The building was simple but it was also _utterly perfect_. The large-bearded dwarf was leagues above every other craftsman in town and the sole reason why Belos scouted for him back in the Savage Ages. There was just no one that could rival Durin.

Once inside, Belos immediately walked up to the lobby counter, an oracle orb installed on the desk. Behind it, a young witch with a large hooked nose was busy filing her nails. She also had eyes that just oozed out hopelessness, surprising the mighty tyrant. Emperor Belos coughed politely, hoping to garner her attention but unfortunately, he was ignored without a thought. Frowning from underneath his mask, Belos decided to be a bit more direct.

“I wish for an audience with Lord Durin.” He exclaimed bluntly.

The receptionist witch didn’t bother looking up. “Did you take a ticket?”

“A ticket? Why?”

“Anyone who wishes to do business must first take a ticket and wait until they’re called.”

The room was quiet. Probably since no one else was around.

Belos blinked. “We’re the only ones here.”

She did not reply, continuing to ignore him while she focused on her nails. Belos rolled his eyes and sighed, strolling back and grabbing a ticket. Number 23, it wrote with nothing else on it. Taking a seat, it took approximately 5 seconds before his number projected itself from the oracle orb. He stood back up and walked back again to the counter, placing the ticket in a small glass jar nearby.

“Hello, sir. How can I help you today?” The receptionist witch asked uncaringly.

“I-I just told you—!” Belos stopped midway and took a deep breath. It was just one thing. There was no reason to be upset. “… I wish for an audience with Lord Durin. He should be expecting me.”

“Do you have an appointment?”

Belos’s eyes widened slightly. “An appointment?”

“All witches must schedule an appointment at least 3 days prior. Please come back once you schedule one. Thank you.”

“I was told that I do not require one.”

“Do you have an invoice or any written document that can testify that claim?” She asked.

“No, it was through the scroll.”

“If you don’t have an invoice nor an appointment, you have to schedule one. Those are the rules.”

Belos’s fist tightened. Now, he usually was a reasonable person and he did enjoy some parts of bureaucracy but this? This was ridiculous. He was the Titan-damned Emperor of the Boiling Isles! He shouldn’t need to make an appointment, especially since he technically already did make one _directly_ with the person he wanted to meet. What kind of dumb mess was this?!

Internally, he counted to 10. He did that several times. “Can you at least tell him that I am here to meet him?”

The receptionist witch stopped her nail filing and pouted. Putting down her file, she grabbed a form next to her and picked up a feather from its inkpot. Belos smiled, feeling victorious.

“Name?”

“Alexander E. Belos.”

“Occupation?”

“… Emperor of the Boiling Isles.”

“Coven status?”

“ _Emperor’s_ Coven.”

With every answer, she filled out the form. Despite her attitude and the eyes of a young woman with crushed dreams, her writing was quick yet flawless with the most beautiful cursive font he had ever seen. This was no ordinary skill; she would have had to practice for literal years in order to make handwriting a work of art. For someone of her skills, Belos briefly wondered why she was working as a receptionist. Who knows? Maybe she was kicked out of her ambition and was currently living like a walking corpse. That would be a shame.

The feather drying out, she dipped it back in the pot. “And what is the purpose of your visit?”

“I request for an item of mine to be repaired. Lord Durin is the only one capable of doing so, and the only one I trust.”

“That’s what they all say.” She muttered under her breath pessimistically. After finishing the last parts, she quickly created a copy with magic and handed over one to Belos. “Here you go. I’ve scheduled an appointment for you in the earliest available slot in 2 weeks’ time. Be sure to come by at 10 AM sharp. Lord Durin is a busy person.”

Emperor Belos's eyes widened. _“That is not I what I asked for.”_

“Lord Durin is currently not in-office and due to coven policy, I am not allowed to relay any messages, orders or top-secret documents to him without proper inspection.” She explained as unconcerned as ever. “Have a nice day and I hope to see you in 2 weeks.”

The tyrant glared at the woman, his rage reaching a breaking point. He didn’t care if this place was virtually indestructible or that she had some tragic backstory. He refused to be treated with such disrespect, damn the bureaucracy!

Before he could incinerate her instantly with a dash of hellfire, he was interrupted by a familiar dwarf face; Lord Durin, the Construction Coven leader, was carrying a roll of toilet paper, having been to the bathroom recently. His appearance was to the shock of the other two, considering how quiet he was.

“L-Lord Durin, sir!” The receptionist stuttered nervously. Quickly realising how highly she regarded him, Emperor Belos had a better idea.

“Durin, my _friend!_ How wonderful to see you!” Belos greeted jovially and out-of-character. He raised both arms to a hug, kneeling slightly down and patting the dwarf in the back. “It is I, _Emperor Belos_ , sole ruler and dictator of the Boiling Isles — your superior in some way. How have you been, my good chum?”

Durin raised a brow, bewildered by all this. “... Aye?”

“Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just _reminding a fellow witch of their position._ ” He hissed pettily. “May I come in? I believe I am not intruding in your ever-so _busy schedule._ ”

Durin’s brow raised itself higher. He wasn’t sure what had transpired but just shrugged in response. It wasn’t his place to judge. “Aye.”

"Thank you, Lord Durin."

* * *

Little Luz was having a blast.

While she waited outside for her father to finish up with the repairs, Luz looked around the area. All over, people of all ages were moving briskly from one construction site to another, carrying materials such as bags of concrete in wheelbarrows or logs of wood over their shoulders, or smaller bags filled with a variety of irons tools from pickaxes to wrenches. Some wore hardhats and heavy work boots, others don’t. But one thing for sure was all of them wore different-coloured overalls.

“Ooo! Aaa!” Luz awed at the sight. She just saw a dog house finally finished being built, while the apartment next to it was blown to smithereens. This place sure was loud.

While distracted by the constant activity, a large figure came out of nowhere and bumped into her, pushing her to fall. “Huh? What the—?” The figure said, startled. Looking down, they saw the poor little girl had accidentally dirtied her outfit.

“Oh, sorry about that, kid. Didn’t see you there. Here, let me help you up.” The figure exclaimed, giving a hand.

“Thanks!” Luz replied, grabbing it and pulling her back up. She didn’t really care that her outfit was dirty. It needed to be washed anyway.

Staring up, Luz was greeted with a fair view. The figure was a beefy, almost-squarish adult woman. She had bright orange hair tied to a thick braid and a large round nose. Much like everyone else, she wore a pair of short-sleeved work overalls, gloves and boots, and a hardhat for safety. She also had a sling bag around her and on her shoulder was a literal stone pillar, as recently carved and ready for transport.

“No problem. That’s just what I do.” The big woman said with a smile. “Say, you’re not from here, are you?”

Luz shook her head. “Nope! But how’d you know?”

A large grin across her face, the woman waved her free hand around. “This here is Barret Town and I’m the chief foreman around these parts. I know everybody that lives here.” She answered, doing a thumbs up and a glistening white smile.

The baby girl gasped. “Everybody?! That’s a lot!”

“A lot is an understatement. Guhahahaha!”

“Then you must be like the boss of this place, right?” Luz asked, causing her to stop laughing and cough nervously in her fist.

“A-hem, eh... Not exactly...” She muttered, a slight blush forming on her cheeks. “I’m technically the second-in-command. Durin’s the one who’s the real boss but he doesn’t manage all this small stuff. That’s my job.”

Much like any organization, the Construction Coven had its own hierarchy of positions. The chief foreman, leader of other foremen, was technically the top position any reasonable person could achieve but the real leader was the head of the Construction Coven. The chief foreman only handled issues internally while the head handled issues for the Boiling Isles as a whole. Thus, rarely did Lord Durin get involved in actual construction work unless he was personally commissioned, being far too busy with management.

“Still, this isn’t about me. What’s a little girl like yourself doing here all alone?” The chief forewoman asked.

“Dad went to meet with Mr Durin. He’s going to fix my hairband. It has a crack in it.”

She rubbed her chin in thought. “A hairband? Huh, didn’t think the old coot took those kinds of commissions.”

Whoever the little girl’s father was, he must be some bigshot with a lot of power, money and influence. There was only a handful of those but the girl didn’t look familiar.

“Miss?” Luz called out, breaking her from her stupor.

“Hmm? Oh, you can call me Dorothy. All my friends call me that.” She insisted.

“Miss Dorothy, how are you so strong?”

The forewoman baulked at the question and immediately after, began laughing heartily. “GUHAHAHAHA!!! How am I so strong?! What, you’ve never seen Construction Magic?!”

“Nope!” Luz answered with a shake of her head. “I can do light spells and fireballs though.”

She baulked some more in surprise. This girl, who probably haven’t even been to preschool, knew magic? “Y-you can?! Damn, kids these days are something else!”

In the age of old, magic was taught to children via their parents. It was difficult getting formal education back in the Savage Ages, especially since murder was more or less common. Despite that, rarely was magic practised at such a young age. It was just too unstable.

“Say kid, what do you know about Construction magic?” Dorothy asked.

“It’s the stickers, right?” Luz replied. She recalled Mr Durin using them when he erected the new tower and built her bedroom.

“Well, kinda. The stickers are simply the medium. Construction magic is a bit more than that.” Dorothy said with a nonchalant wave. She then placed her stone pillar down gently, creating a small thump that bounced Luz up slightly. “Construction magic is about altering properties of whatever object or living being the glyphs are drawn on. For example, power glyphs in order to increase your strength.” She explained, showing the power glyphs currently stuck on her arms.

As another person walked by with a bag full of dark wooden rods, Dorothy swiped a piece from them and twiddled it around like a wand. “See here? This is high-density pine bark. Super strong but really hard to work with. Using some softening glyphs, we make it malleable and can shape it to whatever form we want. Removing the glyphs turns it back to normal but retains its new shape.”

Luz smiled. “Like Play-Doh!”

“I don’t know what that is but that sounds delicious.” The forewoman then rummaged through her sling bag and pulled out a piece of paper, a symbol drawn on one side. “Here’s a different glyph. Why don’t you give it a go?”

The first thing Luz noticed was that the glyph had a different pattern than the one slapped on the big lady’s muscular arms. Now, she was no smarty-pants but she had a feeling that this sticker has a different effect. Without care, the little girl slapped the glyph onto the wooden rod, the sticker easily rolling around the entire rod and even overlapping on itself. It then glowed briefly and when Luz tried to hold the rod up, it started sliding out of her grip.

Luz giggled. “It’s slippery!”

“Makes it perfect for axles and shafts, right?” Dorothy claimed, snapping her fingers. “Most glyphs we use are just for construction and assembly but our magic also deals with maintenance and general day-to-day performance.” She then added with a grin. “You interested in joining the Construction Coven someday? Durin might even give you a little pick-me-up.”

Shaking her head, Luz replied, still sporting her trademarked smile. “Nope. I’m gonna join the same one my dad is in.”

“Ah, a family line. Yeah, I get you. The same goes for me.”

It’s common for witches to inherit certain magics from their parents and theirs before that. For example, the Blights were more famously known for their Abomination magic with the matriarch of the family being a prominent member of the Abomination Coven. The sole exception being the Emperor’s Coven since only the best of the best could join. Though, Little Luz might just be the exception to that exception…

“Miss Dorothy? Do you know Mr Durin?” Luz asked, curious as to their relationship.

“Know him? _I owe him my life!_ ” Dorothy answered before looking far across the distance.

“I used to live in an orphanage. A lot of kids did back then. Some get adopted, others get sold for child labour or monster bait. The orphanage was also in need of cash so it was normal.” She said, her grin slowly disappearing. “Durin’s been part of the orphanage for as long as I remembered. He never got to leave and honestly, I don’t think he ever wanted to. Took up all sorts of odd jobs to keep us fed.”

“Guess that’s where he got his expertise in Construction magic. He picked up all sorts of skills and made him the best craftsman ever. But Durin doesn’t have a last name. Only family people do, which means he’ll always do hard labour for the rest of his life.”

Luz frowned. “That’s sad.”

Dorothy smirked in response. “It was. Then one day, he joined some terrorist group and, as the story goes, helped establish the coven system. Barret Town’s been prospering ever since.” She said, proud at that fact. She looked around at her fellow workers, all working hard and doing their best, sweat and tears glistening down their bodies.

With cloudy eyes, she remembered how Barret Town wasn’t even close to this happy back then. Trading city or not, the town was just another hell in the already miserable Boiling Isles. When the self-proclaimed emperor finally became the actual emperor, people around the Boiling Isles was ecstatic.

But not Barret Town.

The town was once ruled by a greedy lord who sold dangerous and nowadays illegal materials all over the land with high taxes to support his frivolous spending. Plus his personal army, that meant no one could ever try to argue against him, else they forfeit their lives either by sword or by shackles.

The Emperor's Coven might have been a godsend to some but to Barret Town, all it did was kick out one tyrant for another. It was only because of Durin that the town stayed independent and that the Emperor's Coven couldn’t set up a base here. Hell, even after being the sole ruler of the Boiling Isles, Emperor Belos continued to commit atrocities of his own.

Then again, he was the insane emperor who claimed to hear voices of ghosts and a god.

She trusted Durin but not Belos for a reason.

“Mr Durin doesn’t say much but he sounds really nice,” Luz exclaimed.

“You said it. He’s the nicest man I know.” Dorothy added, smiling. “Come on, let’s head to his office. That’s where your dad is at, right?”

“Right!”

* * *

“So... Can you fix it?”

Meanwhile back at the office, the great Emperor Belos and the master-builder Lord Durin were looking at a golden hairband — the same one Luz wore ever since she started blowing up towers and dirt dummies. Belos realized quickly at how powerful Luz’s magic was which was why he created the hairband.

Using an old relic that had a nullification enchantment, he reshaped it into a hairband and gave it to Luz to wear. That way, her powers would be weakened enough that she could practise controlling it. The problem was that each time Luz used her magic, the hairband would slowly break apart. This was what happened when you force magic onto an object that’s already magical — like a balloon about to burst.

“Hm...” Durin hummed, inspecting the headwear. With his thumbs and index fingers, he hoisted the hairband carefully and added some stress, bending it slightly.

 _SNAP!_ Unfortunately, it snapped like a twig before crumbling into cent-sized fragments. “Hmph!”

Belos blinked. “Oh, that’s far worse than I anticipated. But it looks salvageable. I put the restoration process in your hands, my friend.”

Lord Durin frowned. He glared at the great emperor, causing him to sweat nervously. Belos had a good idea of why. “Yes, I know it is irresponsible to alter an enchanted object with Construction magic but what choice do I have? Relics did not come in the form of a hairband, especially one with magic-nullifying effects.”

“Nay.”

“I tried my best. It was a matter of appearance.” Belos huffed, insulted. “Will you still accept this job then?”

Durin stared back at the fragments of the relic. Even with his skills, it would take a lot of work. He could just make a new relic though but those take considerable resources and wouldn’t always give him the effects he wanted. That’s why there were so many Savage Age relics; witches just kept making them until they got the one they wanted.

No one nowadays knew how to make those, well except for him.

“Aye.” Durin agreed with a nod. Not like he had anything better to do.

Underneath his mask, Belos smiled. “Ah, thank you. I appreciate this.”

_Knock knock knock!_

Someone was by the door. “Durin, it’s me, Dorothy. Are you with a client? I have his daughter with me.” Dorothy called from the other side.

“Aye!”

“Alright then! I’m coming in.”

Slowly, the door creaked open and Dorothy walked in. Alongside her was Luz, still as funky as ever. “Here you go. I hope you don’t mind, sir. Your daughter and I had a nice chat and—” Upon seeing who the guest was, Dorothy gasped. “E-E-Emperor Belos?!”

Belos sighed. “Well, at least someone recognizes me here.”

Hurriedly, the muscular woman got on one knee and bowed to his grace. Her panicked mind was all over the place while her heart increasingly beat rapidly. Why was the emperor here? Was he the person this little girl mentioned? Oh Titan, was Belos Luz’s father?! She felt herself blanch at the unpleasant thoughts.

“O, Emperor! I didn’t realize your grace was having an important discussion with Lord Durin. My apologies!” She begged.

Uncaringly, Belos just waved away. “‘Tis fine. Our meeting is adjourned.” He then turned to his surprisingly incompatible-looking daughter, his expression hidden behind his mask. “Luz, I thought I told you to stay put outside.”

“I did but then I met Miss Dorothy. She showed me Construction magic!”

His brows raised curiously. “Oh, and what was it like?”

“It’s super neat! You can bend stuff and make it slippery!” Luz explained. She never actually saw the whole bending thing but she could guess what it was like.

“Well, that’s a couple of the many features it has.” He muttered. Construction magic had a lot more depth than most people realized. “I can teach you more about it. For now, it’s time for us to leave. Say your goodbyes, Luz.”

Luz nodded and waved as she and her father walked out the door. “Bye, Mr Durin! Bye Miss Dorothy!”

“Aye.”

“O-oh, bye Luz— I mean, princess!”

Luz smiled. “You can call me Luz. All my friends call me that.”

_Ka-chink!_

The door closed in front of them, leaving the two Construction Coven members alone in the office. Dorothy crossed her arms and hummed, feeling satisfied for some reason.

"I like the kid. She's a good girl." Dorothy said simply. Then, her brows furrowed. "Her dad is a dick though."

"Nay!"

"What, he is!"

* * *

Somewhere in a place far, far away but still on the Boiling Isles, so it wasn’t really that far, several hours into the night, there stood a downtrodden wooden shed. It looked as if it could break down immediately upon touch. But this was just a disguise! Within the shed was a different smaller shed that looked like it would break _apart_ from touch.

Thus, these two sheds maintain an equilibrium where one cannot destroy itself without the other forcing it back together. Some crazy dude wrote a book about it.

Inside the two suspiciously spacious sheds, three mysterious figure wearing an oversized cloak appeared from the shadows, surrounding a small crate. Their faces and figures were completely hidden. “So… Did you bring the good kush?” One of them, for the moment dubbed Stooge A, asked.

“First off, this was from the dollar store. How good of a kush could it be?” Another, Stooge B, replied. “Second, do you know how hard it was to get this stuff through inspection? Very fucking hard as sh—!”

“Hey, hey, hey! No swearing! This is strictly PG-13!”

“I don’t even know what that means!”

“Will you two shut up for a second?!” The last of the 3, Stooge C, yelled angrily. Unlike the other two, Stooge C was female. Though, her face and figure were still shrouded in shadows. “I got info that will blow your puny minds.”

Stooge A looked down sadly. “Hey, you know I’m sensitive about my intelligence…”

“No one cares.” Stooge B scoffed. “Anyway, what’s this about mind-blowing info?”

Stooge C grinned and threw a photo onto the box in front of them. The polaroid photo — apparently polaroids were a thing on the Boiling Isles — was recently made but it looked like it went through 10 years in one evening. It was slightly singed with smudges of dirt on its back and one of its pointy corners were folded. Plus, the picture wasn’t even that good quality. Everything was so blurry and nauseating.

The contents of the photo, however, were pure gold.

“Check it. It seems Emperor Belos here has a kid following him all over. It was in public too which was really weird.” Stooge C noted.

It was somewhat surprising how no one noticed especially since they were in plain sight. Maybe because no one ever expected the magnificent emperor to grace them with their presence on a random afternoon. The same logic applied to the other coven heads.

“It could be some apprentice he’s training.” Stooge A guessed, though with a slight err.

Stooge B disagreed, shaking his head. “Or maybe he’s got a new assistant who just happens to be tiny. I mean, have you seen Kikimora?”

“I think I remember seeing them at the market once. Isn’t she a demon pet?”

“No, dude. She uses magic. How else would she be part of the Emperor’s Coven?” Stooge B enlightened before bringing up his own guess. “Maybe this child is his daughter?”

“EMPEROR BELOS FUCKS?!”

“Please never say those words ever again. I don’t want to imagine what that’s like.”

“YOU’RE THE ONE WHO BROUGHT IT UP!”

Stooge C groaned loudly, taking back control of their super-secret meeting. “Look, it doesn’t matter whether she’s his apprentice, pet or bastard baby. What matters is that they’re close and I think”— she then stabbed the photo with a knife directly on the little girl’s image, a toothy and sinister smile on her face. —“ _we just found a way to kill him._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw, I'm an engineering student. That means I learn a lot about materials and forces and other stuff about product design. When trying to expand Construction magic, I had a thought; "Wouldn't it be cool as sh*t to be able to change properties of objects?". As an engineering student, I would say that would be cool as sh*t.
> 
> So... Construction magic is basically that. Friction, stresses, wear and tear, heat, etc.. Those are big problems when designing parts. For example, you don't want friction and bending stresses on your rotating parts. This includes shafts, axles, screws, and joints such as levers. To avoid this, you'd use lubricants or bearings. But not all friction is bad; sometimes you want them such as in bolted fasteners.
> 
> Construction magic would be a godsend. Simple simulations and models might look cool but you put it in practice and real-life will kick you in the knees. Construction magic would literally be able to allow these to work; allowing something to bend without breaking or keeping it at low temperatures to counter the heat.
> 
> So yeah, that's about it. Maybe I'll make more mechanics of other magics too. See where that goes.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Titan's Word](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27010072) by [Clevinger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clevinger/pseuds/Clevinger)




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